Illinois: Man Mistakenly Told He Was HIV Positive Sues Laboratory

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, a Granite City, Ill., man is suing a medical laboratory for mistakenly informing him he was HIV-positive. Brett Bareford, 45, was wrongly informed he was HIV-positive after he submitted blood samples for testing during a physical examination on June 25, 2002, said Rhonda Jenkins, Bareford's attorney. "He kept thinking there must be a mistake, but he was assured that these tests are accurate," said Jenkins. Bareford scheduled the examination because he was getting married, according to Jenkins. Filed in Madison County, the lawsuit names Tri-Lab LLC as a defendant, and seeks damages in excess of $50,000 for extreme emotional distress, anxiety, mental anguish, embarrassment and lost wages. Tri-Lab, which would not comment on the lawsuit, is owned by Saint Anthony's Health Center in Alton, St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville and Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City.

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