Woman given a ticket 'for having HIV' wins $40,000 settlement

A woman who was given a ticket for not disclosing her HIV status to a police officer in Michigan has won damages totalling $40,000 (£26,134).

Shalandra Jones took legal action against the city of Dearborn in January last year after the officer berated her for not telling him that she was HIV-positive, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Officer David Lacey pulled her over for a routine traffic violation, but went on to question her and search her possessions after discovering marijuana in the car.

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The entire incident was recorded on the officer's dashboard camera and widely shared online.

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Jones told the officer that she had a medical marijuana licence, but that it had expired. Lacey asked if she was ill and after her companion disclosed that Jones was HIV-positive, he said he "did not want to take any diseases home" to his family.

The police officer then gave the woman a ticket for a misdemeanour marijuana possession charge, which was later dismissed. He admitted that he wouldn't have punished her if she had told him her status earlier.

"Honestly, if it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have wrote anybody for anything," he said. "But that kind of really aggravated me, you know what I mean? You got to tell me right away. Because at that time, I wasn't wearing any gloves."

The Dearborn Police Department said that this was an "isolated incident" and not reflective of the behaviour of the department as a whole. "Respect for everyone is emphasised in all police department training," said spokesperson Mary Laundroche.

Jones's lawyer, Joshua Moore, said the incident was a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. "It was a pretty clear cut-case with the video. What happened to her was awful. No one should have to go through that," he said.

"There are so many examples of people who are marginalised because they are HIV-positive," he told the New York Daily News. "People need to know that stigmas can kill people with HIV."