Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - November 16, 2007
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed the petition against the University of Chicago Hospitals and the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network.
She is asking a judge to order them to turn over the records of the transplant to her attorneys, "so that they may properly investigate all pertinent matters," according to the petition filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
The hospital and donor agency both knew that the donor -- identified only as John Doe -- "had engaged in high-risk behavior," Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Demetrio of Chicago, wrote in the petition. But he said Jane Doe was not informed.
A hospital spokesman declined to comment, and the donor network could not be reached Thursday.
Earlier this week, health officials said four patients contracted HIV and hepatitis C from an infected donor in January and did not know of the potential risk to their partners and close contacts until they tested positive for the diseases in the last two weeks.
The infected donor had not tested positive for the diseases, likely because the infections were too recent to register on screening tests, officials believe.
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