Woman is awarded $125,000 for HIV disclosure

By Kim Wessel
The Courier-Journal

When the trial commenced last Thursday, Traci Walls was prepared to represent herself. Her lawyers had dropped her case because she could not afford to pay them and she could not afford to pay another lawyer.

Attorney William F. McMurry read about Traci Walls' case in The Courier Journal and decided to go to the courthouse and offer his services as a trial lawyer to Ms. Walls for free.

Ms. Walls lawsuit arose out of a lab worker at Jewish Hospital revealing the result of her HIV test. Eventually, the leak resulted in close friends and neighbors in her neighborhood learning about the HIV test results.

State law forbids anyone who knows the results of an HIV test to disclose it. Jewish Hospital officials testified that their employees are reminded of the rules on patient confidentiality.

The jury deliberated for more than three hours before returning a verdict of $125,000 for Ms. Walls against Jewish Hospital. Ms. Walls was quoted as stating, "Justice is real, it really is." Ms. Walls also stated, "It wasn't the money, though. Once I got to tell what happened, that was it. I was satisfied, even if I didn't get anything."

After the verdict, Ms. Walls, referring to her lawyer, William F. McMurry, said: "It was him. God sent him."