Fed Rules Decis. 1990 Apr 4 (date of decision);130:360-3.

Coleman v. American Red Cross.

U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan, S.D.

KIE: Cheryl Coleman became infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after receiving a blood transfusion. Alleging that the blood she received was infected, she sued its supplier, the American Red Cross, to compel discovery of the donor's identity. Coleman asserted that without discovery of the donor's name, it would be impossible to determine whether the Red Cross adequately had screened blood donors (there was no test to identify HIV in blood at that time) and therefore to establish a claim of negligence and the necessary proximate cause. The District Court held that the potential danger to the nation's volunteer blood supply system outweighed Coleman's need to discover the donor's identity.