"Is There No More Magic?"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Is There No More Magic?"

Newsweek (11/16/92) Vol. 120, No. 20, P. 91
Deford, Frank

Abstract: Magic Johnson has recently discovered what it is really like to be HIV-positive in American society. Johnson rescinded his decision to return to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month following accusations that he is bisexual, fear of the rejection of NBA players, and a $2 million lawsuit filed against him from a one-time lover who accuses him of infecting her with HIV. A woman known only as Jane Doe is seeking $2 million from Johnson, which threatens most to damage the reputation of a man who is probably the most renowned athlete in all of the world. Doe wrote a letter to Johnson dated Aug. 29, 1991, which is six weeks before he underwent an HIV test for a life-insurance policy. In it, she said, "I have no idea when the bottom will fall out, so I must prepare now. So you see, I can't be a silent voice any longer, not even for you, Baby Boy." The woman, a health-office worker, argues in the letter that she could have contracted the virus only from Johnson. She writes that she had tested HIV-negative three times beginning in 1986. She added that she had not been intimate with any man for eight months before their liaison in June 1990. But Johnson's attorney, Howard Weitzman, indicates that she has been promiscuous and could have contracted HIV "from any number of men." The woman allegedly tried to contact Johnson via telephone after she discovered her infection in 1991. But Johnson never followed-up on her phone call and denied ever receiving the letter through a spokesman. The woman, however, said Johnson told her that he had read the letter and said, "But I can't be sick. Look at me." Subsequently, he tested positive for HIV when applying for a life-insurance policy.

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