PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A romance between a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office sergeant and a clerical worker came to an end once the law enforcement officer revealed that he had genital herpes, the woman said. Now Sgt. Scott Schwab is facing a lawsuit seeking in excess of $15,000 in damages.
The lawsuit, obtained Friday by Local10.com, was filed Monday in Palm Beach County court by attorney Michael Pike on behalf of his client, Yvonne Belisle.
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According to the complaint, Schwab and Belisle had known each other for about eight years because of their working relationship. It was in or about October 2014 that Schwab invited Belisle over to his home to watch a football game and they had sex for the first time.
After that first date, Schwab and Belisle had sex 10 to 20 times in a span of two or three weeks, the complaint said.
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"One evening, several weeks after their first tryst, Schwab invited Yvonne over to his home for dinner, where Schwab had made Yvonne dinner and poured her a glass of wine," the lawsuit states.
It was that same night that Schwab revealed to her that he had herpes simplex 2, a sexually transmitted disease, the lawsuit said.
Belisle went to a clinic to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and found out that she tested positive for herpes, the lawsuit claims. She previously "had no history of contracting or carrying any STD prior to this incident." Herpes is an STD that is treatable but incurable.
The lawsuit cites negligence against Schwab "by failing to warn her of his condition." It also alleges that Schwab has known for more than 18 years that he has had herpes.
As a result, contracting herpes caused Belisle "emotional strain on her future relationships and ability to engage in sex."
There is no policy that precludes inner-office relationships outside of the workplace, PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera told Local10.com.
"We don't police personal relationships," Barbera said.
She could not say if Schwab or Belisle face any internal discipline.
Local10.com sent an email to Pike seeking comment about the lawsuit, but he did not reply. Schwab was not made available for comment.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial.
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