The herpes lawsuits against Usher — two known civil cases filed in 2017, one in Georgia and one in California — have all been resolved. The Georgia case, brought by Laura Helm, was dismissed with prejudice in May 2019 after what both sides called an “amicable resolution.” The California case, brought by Quantasia Sharpton and two other plaintiffs through attorney Lisa Bloom, was dismissed without prejudice, with no confirmed settlement. Usher has never publicly confirmed or denied having the virus, and no criminal charges were ever filed.
How the Lawsuits Started
In July 2017, Radar Online published documents purporting to show that Usher paid a celebrity stylist $1.1 million on December 28, 2012, to settle a claim that he had transmitted herpes to her. According to those documents, the stylist alleged Usher “consciously and purposefully” withheld his diagnosis and continued unprotected sex with her after being diagnosed around 2009 or 2010. A photocopy of a $2,754 check said to cover her medical bills was included in the leak.1People. Usher Sued by Woman Who Claims He Failed to Warn Her About Alleged Herpes Diagnosis
That 2012 settlement has never been independently confirmed. Snopes reported it could not locate a matching civil suit in the Los Angeles Superior Court database, and the excerpted papers lacked a case number, jurisdiction, or attorney names.2Snopes. Usher STD Rumor Verified or not, the leak set off the litigation that followed.
The Georgia Lawsuit: Laura Helm
Laura Helm, initially filing as “Jane Doe,” sued Usher in Fulton County Superior Court in July 2017. She alleged he knowingly exposed her to genital herpes (HSV-2) during sexual encounters that year without disclosing his status, bringing counts of negligence, fraud, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.3Forbes. Usher Seeks Dismissal of Herpes Suit, Says Accuser Knew of Unprotected Sex Risks
Helm initially sought $10 million. After she was diagnosed with HSV-2, she raised her demand to $20 million to cover emotional harm and punitive damages.4TMZ. Usher Herpes Lawsuit Laura Helm Dismissed Settlement Her first complaint was dismissed without prejudice; she changed attorneys and refiled in 2018.3Forbes. Usher Seeks Dismissal of Herpes Suit, Says Accuser Knew of Unprotected Sex Risks
In early May 2019, Helm filed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Both sides said only that they had reached an amicable resolution. Terms were not disclosed, though legal observers noted that dismissal with prejudice typically follows a financial settlement.4TMZ. Usher Herpes Lawsuit Laura Helm Dismissed Settlement5Revolt. Usher’s $20 Million Herpes Lawsuit Has Been Dismissed
The California Lawsuit: Quantasia Sharpton and Two Others
On August 7, 2017, attorney Lisa Bloom held a press conference at the New York Hilton Midtown announcing a California lawsuit on behalf of three plaintiffs: Quantasia Sharpton, a woman identified as “Jane Doe,” and a man identified as “John Doe.” The suit alleged sexual battery, fraud, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.1People. Usher Sued by Woman Who Claims He Failed to Warn Her About Alleged Herpes Diagnosis6Billboard. Lisa Bloom Interview Usher Herpes Sex Lawsuit
Sharpton said she met Usher at a concert shortly after her 19th birthday while wearing a birthday crown, was invited backstage, and later had sexual contact with him at her hotel. She said he never warned her about any sexually transmitted disease.1People. Usher Sued by Woman Who Claims He Failed to Warn Her About Alleged Herpes Diagnosis
Sharpton also publicly acknowledged that she had tested negative for herpes. At the press conference she said, “Although I am negative, I was upset by the reports and I would have never consented had I known.”7ABC 7 New York. Lawsuit: Usher Failed to Warn 2 Women, 1 Man About Herpes Bloom said only one of the three plaintiffs had tested positive and argued the claim did not depend on transmission, only on Usher’s alleged failure to disclose.8CBS News Los Angeles. Usher Herpes Lawsuit The male plaintiff alleged Usher exposed him during a sexual encounter at a Koreatown spa in Los Angeles.
Bloom later filed to dismiss the lawsuit. The dismissal was without prejudice, meaning it could theoretically be refiled, and it was unclear whether any settlement was reached.9E! Online. Usher Responds to Lawsuit Claiming He Exposed 3 People to Herpes
Usher’s Defense
Attorney Steve Sadow led Usher’s defense in Georgia and built it around the doctrine of assumption of risk. Sadow argued that Helm knew the risks of unprotected sex, citing statistics that one in six people could carry genital herpes, and that she had “failed to exercise ordinary care for her own safety.” He also raised the possibility that Helm was asymptomatic before testing or had contracted the virus from someone else. Court filings stressed the defense was not asking for a “moral or societal judgment” but a “correct application of the legal doctrine of assumption of risk” under Georgia appellate decisions.10E! Online. Usher Fights to Get Genital Herpes Case Dismissed, Claims Georgia Accuser Knew the Risks of Sex Usher’s manager, speaking publicly, said many of the plaintiffs “don’t even have the disease.”3Forbes. Usher Seeks Dismissal of Herpes Suit, Says Accuser Knew of Unprotected Sex Risks
In the California case, Usher’s team filed a formal response in September 2017 denying every allegation and listing 13 grounds for dismissal, including the statute of limitations, lack of standing, improper joining of plaintiffs, and insufficient facts. The filing again invoked assumption of risk, argued any alleged conduct was unintentional, and raised an “unclean hands” defense. The response did not explicitly state whether Usher has or has ever had herpes.11USA Today. Usher Responds to Herpes Lawsuit, Denies He Exposed Plaintiffs to STD
Why Nondisclosure Can Be Sued Over Even Without Transmission
Courts in both states hold that a person who knows they carry a sexually transmitted disease has a legal duty to inform sexual partners before intimate contact.
In Georgia, the Court of Appeals established in 1985 that sexual partners owe one another “the duty to exercise ordinary care not to injure others,” and the state’s Supreme Court affirmed in 2002 that a person can be held liable for negligently or deliberately infecting someone with herpes. Georgia courts have also held that an assumption-of-risk defense requires proof the plaintiff subjectively understood the “specific, particular risk” of herpes, so a general argument that everyone knows unprotected sex is risky may not be enough.3Forbes. Usher Seeks Dismissal of Herpes Suit, Says Accuser Knew of Unprotected Sex Risks
In California, willfully transmitting a communicable disease is a misdemeanor under Health and Safety Code § 120290, punishable by up to six months in county jail. A conviction requires proof that the defendant knew of the infection, acted with specific intent to transmit it, engaged in conduct posing a substantial risk of transmission, and actually transmitted the disease.12FindLaw. California Health and Safety Code Section 120290 On the civil side, a California appellate court in 2011 upheld a multi-million-dollar award in Behr v. Redmond, where a man failed to disclose a 30-year herpes history and assured his partner unprotected sex was safe during non-outbreak periods. The court found fraudulent concealment. The total judgment, reduced on appeal, came to roughly $4.3 million.13Met News. Behr v. Redmond, E048333
Where Things Stand
All known herpes-related lawsuits against Usher have concluded. The Georgia case ended with a private resolution and dismissal with prejudice. The California case was dismissed without prejudice, leaving open in theory the possibility of refiling, though nothing has been filed since. Usher’s legal filings denied the allegations without addressing his medical status. No criminal charges were ever filed.