Texas Megachurch Pastor Ordered to Pay $2.45M for Spreading Herpes
Ralph Douglas West II, an assistant pastor at Houston's The Church Without Walls, has been ordered to pay a woman he met on Facebook $2.45 million after he gave her herpes. West was found guilty of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraudulent concealment. The jury determined that West knowingly infected the victim with genital herpes, causing her lifelong harm. The assistant pastor will have to pay $1,450,000 in compensatory damages and $1,000,000 in exemplary/punitive damages, making it the largest payment ordered in such a case. The church, founded by West's father, has over 24,000 members across three locations.