Veronica Prego v. City of New York et al. was a $175 million negligence lawsuit filed in 1988 by a medical doctor, Verónica Prego, against the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Dr. Joyce F. Fogel and Dr. Sheldon H. Landesman.
["Arnold H. Lubasch]
, ''The New York Times'', January 22, 1990 Prego contracted
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
in 1983 when she was working at
Kings County Hospital Center. In her lawsuit she contended that she was infected with the virus by pricking her finger on an infected needle at the hospital. According to Prego the needle was improperly disposed of by Dr. Fogel after being used on an AIDS patient.
The defense contended that Dr. Prego had drawn the infected blood herself and had caused the accident on her own.
In March 1990, just before summations to the jury would have been held, she suddenly dropped her lawsuit, settling out-of-court without a public acknowledgement of negligence from the defendants and for what was initially an undisclosed sum of money. The judge later disclosed that $1.35 million was awarded to Prego in the settlement.
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Impact
The same year Prego contracted HIV, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
announced that HIV was transmitted by blood and cautioned hospitals to implement precautionary measures to protect employees from exposure to blood. Prego's case focussed public attention to the issue, and continues to be mentioned in reference works that deal with hospital safety and AIDS in the workplace related issues.
[William Banta, 199]
AIDS in the Workplace
Lexington Books pp. 155-156
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prego, Veronica
1988 in the United States
1990 in United States case law
HIV/AIDS in the United States
Health in New York (state)
NYC Health + Hospitals
United States labor case law
Medical hygiene
City of New York litigation