Fridae

A San Francisco court has ordered a man to pay US$5 million to a former lover - in what is believed to be the country's largest civil lawsuit over an AIDS infection, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Thomas Lister has been awarded US$5 million in damages by a San Francisco Superior Court after accusing his ex-lover of knowingly infecting him with HIV.

The order against former Commissioner Ron Hill came as the San Francisco district attorney's office said it was investigating to see if a crime had been committed. In California, infecting someone intentionally with HIV is a felony.

Lister, 36, said he was HIV-negative when he started dating former health commissioner, Ron Hill in March 2000. He also said that Hill had told him he was also HIV negative.

However, in 1997, Hill had publicly disclosed his positive status after being appointed to the San Francisco Health Commission by Mayor Willie Brown.

The pair whose relationship was reportedly sexually monogamous separated in August 2000 after Lister, who was negative, discovered documentation about Hill's HIV-positive status. Lister tested positive in October 2000.

Lister filed a police report but was told that criminal charges based on intent would be too hard to prove.

The Chronicle reported that experts say proving that a particular person infected someone is difficult. In the civil case filed against Hill, Lister was not required to prove that Hill infected him.

After Wednesday's ruling, however, San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan told the paper that his office may reconsider criminal charges against Hill.

Outside the court, Lister said the award showed that it is wrong "not to take responsibility and inform people of your HIV status."