Lawsuit: HIV status nixed hair transplant

HIALEAH, Fla., July 16 (UPI) -- A 28-year-old man in Hialeah, Fla., alleges he was denied a hair transplant procedure because he has human immunodeficiency virus.

Diego Del Rio has filed a lawsuit alleging Dr. Brett Bolton of the Age Defying Surgical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., refused him treatment because Del Rio is HIV-positive, The Miami Herald said Wednesday.

''He just turned around and said our policy is we do not accept any patients that have HIV or a history of hepatitis,'' Del Rio alleges. "I was completely perplexed. Just because I'm an HIV-positive individual doesn't make me less of an individual than anyone else.''

Neither Bolton nor his attorney commented to the Herald about the lawsuit, which seeks at least $15,000 in damages.

The Florida Health Department spokeswoman Eulinda Smith said it is illegal under state law to deny a person medical treatment because they are HIV-positive.

''HIV patients are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act,'' Smith told the Herald.