Lambda Legal is appealing the conviction of Nick Rhoades, an HIV-positive man in Iowa, according to a Lambda Legal statement. Rhoades was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender after having a one-time sexual encounter with Adam Plendl during which they used a condom and no HIV was transmitted. After Plendl was told by a friend that Rhoades might have HIV, he contacted the police, who arrested Rhoades in September 2008. On the advice of his counsel, Rhoades pled guilty. He was convicted of intentionally exposing Plendl to HIV. Several months later, the court suspended his prison sentence, and he was placed on supervised probation for five years. In 2011, Rhoades filed an Application for Post-Conviction Relief, arguing that he received poor counsel. The court denied the application, and Lambda Legal is now representing Rhoades in his appeal to the state Supreme Court.

To read the Lambda Legal statement, click here.

To read POZ’s recent profile on Rhoades and HIV criminalization, click here.