JonCJG
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POSTED 3:45 p.m. EDT, April 24, 2006
RON MEXICO SETTLES HERP SUITThe lawsuit filed in 2005 against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, in which a former girlfriend alleged that he gave her the gift that keeps on giving, has been settled.
"The case is resolved," said V. Lawrence Woodward, Vick's attorney. "That's all I can say."
It's all that Woodward can say because settlement agreements in civil cases routinely contain a confidentiality provision, which prohibits the plaintiff from talking about how much money the plaintiff received. Secrecy is requested for various reasons. Big companies that get sued don't want other plaintiffs to think that they can get a pay day merely by filing suit. High-profile guys like Vick don't want the general public to assume that the magnitude of the payment connotes legal responsibility.
Of course, it's also a good idea for the plaintiff to agree to confidentiality, since the last thing the plaintiff needs is a bunch of friends and family members to show up with their hands out.
The complaint filed against Vick alleged that he has herpes, and that Vick passed it to the plaintiff, Sonya Elliott. Elliot also claimed that Vick uses the alias "Ron Mexico" in connection with treatment for the condition.
The lawsuit initially was reported by thesmokinggun.com and generally ignored by the mainstream media for several days. We heard at the time from multiple readers who had purchased personalized Falcons jerseys with the name "Mexico" on the back. The league's merchandising arm later refused to process the transactions.
