Articles Posted in Product Liability

The Bair Hugger is a medical device that is used to keep patients warm and regulate body temperature during surgery. New research has shown, however, that the Bair Hugger increases the risk of infections by pushing bacteria into the body during surgery. This has prompted thousands of Bair Hugger infection lawsuits which have been consolidated into a class action MDL.

Our firm is now accepting Bair Hugger infection lawsuits from individuals who underwent a joint replacement surgery  during which a Bair Hugger warming device was used and developed a post-surgical infection.


Bair Hugger Lawsuit Update

March 13, 2023 Update: a new Bair Hugger infection lawsuit (Jones v. 3M Co., et al., 23-cv-603) was filed in the MDL in the District of Minnesota today. The plaintiff, Cheryl Jones, is an Alabama resident who underwent knee replacement surgery in April 2021 during which the Bair Hugger device was used. She subsequently developed a deep joint infection which required her to undergo multiple additional surgeries on her knee.

February 12, 2023 Update: the first status conference in the newly reopened Bair Hugger class action MDL was held this week before Judge Joan Ericksen.

December 16, 2022 Update: the Bair Hugger class action MDL has formally been reopened. On December 14, 2022, 3M sent a letter to MDL Judge Joan Ericksen asking that the MDL proceedings be reopened and resumed. In the letter, 3M claimed that nothing has really changed and urged Judge Ericksen to fast-track a new round of bellwether trials for the start of 2024. Today, the plaintiffs responded with their own letter saying that new evidence has emerged (specifically a new study published in JAMA in 2022) that strengthens their position on causation.

November 26, 2022 Update: 3M will get some insurance coverage for Bair Hugger claims. A federal court in Minnesota ruled this week that 3M must only pay a single deductible for more than 5,000 Bar Hugger lawsuits. But the insurance company –  Federal Insurance Co. is not on the hook for all of 3M’s attorneys’ fees and other defense costs in the warming device lawsuits because only a fraction of the claims fall within the insurance policy period.

May 18, 2022 Update: The Supreme Court rejected 3M’s appeal.

August 23, 2021 Update: Last week a federal appeals court reinstated 5,000 claims that had been dismissed and this litigation is back on. But few lawyers are taking new claims.

Should you bring a Bair Hugger lawsuit if you believe you suffered an infection from a Bair Hugger during surgery?  Decide for yourself.  But despite some early punches to the face for plaintiffs, there is still a reasonable chance these cases end well for plaintiffs.  Let’s talk about these cases, what there are, where they are going, and what are the prospects that the 3M Bair Hugger cases reach a settlement.

Bair Hugger

bair hugger lawsuit

Bair Hugger MDL Coming Soon?

A Bair Hugger device is a temperature management system that is used during surgery.  The purpose of the invention is to help the body regulate the appropriate temperature.  Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Device is designed, manufactured, and marketed by Defendants 3M Company and Arizant Healthcare, Inc. There are more than 50,000 Bair Hugger FAWs in the United States.

How does it work? The Bair Hugger is a portable heater/blower connected by a flexible hose to a blanket, typically positioned for the patient getting surgery. The Bair Hugger pushed hot air through a hose into a blanket specially made to work with the device. The hot air produced by Bair Hugger accumulates under the surgical drape covering the patient.  This hot air escapes under the surgical drape below the level of the surgical table or over top of it.

So the Bair Hugger is designed to keep a patient’s body temperature normal during surgery by blowing hot air through a blanket. Keeping a patient warm is particularly useful during knee and hip replacement surgery because the procedures tend to be very long.   The body loses heat increasingly throughout the surgery.

Another thing about metal hip and knee replacement surgery is that your body is particularly prone to infection. Why?  The metal helps spread the infection.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuits argue that the device disrupts the air ventilation in the operating room, leading to infections, particularly in hip and knee surgeries, which have resulted in amputations and multiple surgeries. They also allege that 3M has been aware of the contamination issue since 2009.

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Our law firm handles 3M earplug lawsuits throughout the country. This page provides the latest news and updates on the 3M class action lawsuit for victims.

There is some interesting perspective in the comments below from soldiers plaintiffs in the 3M earplug lawsuits.  Our lawyers also provide some excellent graphs and charts of how these lawsuits are going that we have updated in March 2023 to reflect the latest 3M verdict, failed effort by 3M to hide behind a bankruptcy court, and new settlement talks in 2023.

We summarize where we today in this litigation overview of the 3M litigation.  You can also find our latest thoughts on when the 3M earplug lawsuit will settle in light of recent developments.

Our lawyers are handling baby powder lawsuits in all 50 states.  The talcum powder lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson have been going on for years. The lawsuits allege that prolonged use of talcum powder (or “talc”), the active ingredient in products such as Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, can cause ovarian cancer in some women.

This page provides a J&J talc power litigation update and discusses how the upcoming bankruptcy ruling impacts the ultimate settlement amounts in these ovarian cancer lawsuits.

Has the deadline passed for you to file a talcum powder lawsuit?  Many who assume the statute of limitations has passed to sue Johnson & Johnson are wrong.  Call us today at 800-553-8082 or get a free and quick case review online.

This company reached out today with cost per leads. I think the numbers are out of wack.  Compare Zantac – which is on life support – to AFFF which may settle this spring.

This also lays out pay for lead costs and a list of the top 10 mass torts marketing wise in February 2023. Here is the top 10 and the relative spending.  I assume CPL is cost per lead and CPA is cost per acquisition:

  1. Mesothelioma – $4,203,000

TriStar electric pressure cookers have a design flaw that sometimes allows the device to pressurize without the locked lid. This defect causes the lid to explode when opened and projects scalding hot liquids over anyone nearby.

Users have suffered severe burns and facial disfigurement due to the lid defect.  These injuries are awful to deal with and they did not have to happen.

Our firm is seeking new product liability cases from anyone seriously injured by a faulty TriStar pressure cooker device. Users who suffered burns or other injuries from their TriStar instant pressure cooker may be entitled to financial compensation.

This is the latest update on the Taxotere class action (MDL) lawsuits as of February 2023.

Where are we now in the Taxotere hair loss lawsuits?  There have been two bellwether trials.  One before the pandemic in 2019 and one last year.  Both have ended in a defeat for plaintiffs.

So things are not good with the Taxotere lawsuits at this stage.  Do some mass tort lawsuits begin with losses and the tide turns and plaintiffs start winning and the defendant offers fair settlement amounts?  Yes.  100%.  But let’s not pretend there are many silver linings when you lose two lawsuits in a row.

This page is about the AFFF/PFAS lawsuit. Our lawyers are handling firefighting foam lawsuits throughout the United States.

AFFF lawsuits are based on studies showing that Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are linked to severe adverse health effects, particularly various cancers. This is a public health concern, because of how prevalent PFAS are in both manufactured products and the environment.

January 2023 PFAS Class Action Update

IVC filters have been linked to an increased risk of fracture which can cause serious injury or death.  Our law firm is focused on Cordis and Cook IVC filter cases.

The IVC filter lawsuits have been going on for a long time, too long.  Our lawyers frequently get calls from people who are frustrated that their lawyer has “done nothing” to advance their case toward settlement. Our attorneys also get calls from victims who cannot find a lawyer.    This page gives you information if you have filed an IVC filter lawsuit or are thinking of filing such a claim.

There are now 8,255 Cook IVC filter lawsuits in the MDL at last check on May 16, 2022.

zoloft birth defects

Zoloft birth defect lawsuits… do you have a potential claim?

Zoloft has been associated with an increased risk of birth defects in infants whose mothers took Zoloft during pregnancy. These Zoloft birth defects run the gambit of minor problems to life-threatening problems that could lead to permanent injury or death.  As of May 5, 2014, there have been over 420 lawsuits filed.  By 2018, virtually all of these cases have been dismissed.

An Overview of the Association Between Zoloft and Birth Defects

Over the last 10 years, SSRI’s like Zoloft have been accused by plaintiffs’ lawyers of causing everything from Akathisia to Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. I’m making up the latter, but you get the idea. Zoloft has been a controversial drug with a lawsuit target on its back. Some of these allegations have stuck, others have been thoroughly dismissed, and some we still just don’t know. The evidence of an association between Zoloft and birth defects, however, has been growing at an accelerated rate.

Zoloft (Sertraline) is one of the most prescribed drugs in the world for the treatment of various problems. It belongs to a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is used to treat several conditions, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) social anxiety disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Sertraline works by increasing the amounts of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance.

Back in July 2006, the FDA issued an alert after a study reported that infants born to mothers who took SSRIs after the 20th week of pregnancy were 6 times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants who were born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during their pregnancy. PPHN causes newborns to have increased pressure in the blood vessels in their lungs. As a result, they cannot get enough oxygen into their bloodstream. The risk of a woman having a child with PPHN in the general population is about 1 to 2 infants per 1000 live births.

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There is a lot of confusion out there about Mirena lawsuits.  Women are bewildered because there were so many lawyers in recent years who are looking to bring a Mirena lawsuit.  There are still  Mirena lawsuit advertisements still up in 2023.  Yet they cannot find a lawyer for their case.

  • In 2023, the Paragard IUD lawsuits are the latest IUD that is getting hit with new class action suits that will hopefully be more viable for victims than Mirena

Imirena iud lawsuit updatef you are frustrated, I completely understand.  Let me try to explain because there are not a lot of good explanations out there online.

When these lawsuits began, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed thousands of Mirena lawsuits.  The focus of the litigation was:

  1. What Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals knew about the risks associated with IUDs in general and, specifically, with Mirena?
  2. Why didn’t the company do a better job of communicating the risks of uterine perforation and migration?
  3. What Bayer tried to do to make its IUD as safe as possible?
  4. Were profits the motive to avoid making the warning clearer?

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