A former heroin addict has filed a lawsuit against two centers for disease control in southwestern China he says wrongly diagnosed him as HIV positive almost 10 years ago, thepaper.cn has reported.

Zhong Xiaowei, 54, is demanding an apology and compensation from the Chengdu CDC and Sichuan CDC over a positive result in late 2008 that he says ruined his life.

Due to his financial status, he is receiving legal aid from Ouyang Jiu and She Yong, attorneys with Sichuan Yingji Law Firm.

Thepaper.cn quoted Ouyang as saying the lawsuit was filed with a district court in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Tuesday.

Zhong had kicked his drug habit and was preparing to marry when he tested positive in late 2008, which ended his relationship. Depressed, he decided to come off the prescribed medication to “die quicker”, but when his condition did not deteriorate, he decided to get retested. He was given the all clear in 2015.

Chengdu CDC and Sichuan CDC have said they retested the original blood sample and got the same positive result. This has led authorities to conclude the sample does not belong to Zhong, possibly due to a mix-up caused by the fact people taking HIV/AIDS test are not required to register using their real ID.

Ouyang said the court has suggested mediation.

Zheng Yumeng contributed to this story.