San Diego Jury Awards $2 Million in Genital Herpes Transmission Case

SBEMP Attorneys Shaun Murphy and Alison Soltysiak secure verdict for Tiffany Young against former Funko CEO Brian Mariotti

INDIAN WELLS, Calif., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A San Diego jury has awarded $2 million in damages to Tiffany Young in a lawsuit against Brian Mariotti, the former CEO and Creative Director of Funko and current CEO of consumer toy company Thrilljoy.

The verdict found Mariotti liable for intentional misrepresentation after Young alleged that he transmitted genital herpes to her during an intimate relationship.

Young and Mariotti initially met through a dating app and later became involved in a relationship. Young alleged that Mariotti falsely represented to her that he had been tested for sexually transmitted infections and was not infected.

Following trial, the jury found Mariotti liable for intentional misrepresentation and awarded Young $1.2 million for past pain and suffering and $800,000 for future pain and suffering.

Young was represented by Shaun M. Murphy, a partner at SBEMP Attorneys and chair of the firm's Civil Litigation Department, and SBEMP associate Alison Soltysiak.

"This verdict recognizes the very real and lasting harm that can result when someone is not truthful with an intimate partner about an issue as consequential as a sexually transmitted infection," Murphy said. "Ms. Young had the courage to bring this case to trial and ask a jury to hold the defendant accountable for the consequences of that conduct."

Murphy said the verdict also reinforces a broader message about the responsibility individuals have to provide truthful information to their partners concerning sexually transmitted infections.

"People making decisions about intimate relationships have a right to make those decisions based on truthful information," Murphy said. "When someone intentionally provides false information, and another person suffers serious harm as a result, our civil justice system provides a means of seeking accountability and compensation for that harm."

The Young verdict continues a series of significant results Murphy has obtained in cases involving the transmission of genital herpes. Jury verdicts he has secured in such cases have ranged from $1.665 million to $6.75 million.

Murphy has represented plaintiffs in genital herpes transmission cases in multiple jurisdictions and has emphasized through those cases both the legal consequences of intentional or negligent conduct and the importance of disclosure between intimate partners.

"This is an area of the law that many people simply do not know much about until something happens to them," Murphy said. "People who have suffered significant physical and emotional harm because of another person's failure to disclose or misrepresentation should understand that they may have legal remedies available to them."

SOURCE SBEMP LLP