Lawsuit Information Center

November 30, 2022

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurologic disorder that disrupts the brain’s ability to control body movements. 60,00 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. each year. Recently, Parkinson’s disease has been the primary injury in mass tort cases because new evidence has shown that the condition can be caused by long-term exposure to certain chemicals. This page will provide a medical overview of Parkinson’s disease and discuss its involvement in mass tort lawsuits.

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a condition in which certain cells inside the brain decay and stop working properly. The specific brain cells impacted by PD are those that are responsible for the control of muscle movements. The deterioration of these cells impair the ability of the brain to send movement and coordination commands to the muscles in the body. As a result, individuals with PD suffer from non-voluntary or uncontrolled body movements such as shaking, tremors, stiffness or rigidity, and lack of coordination.

November 29, 2022

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is diagnosed in over 80,000 people each year in the U.S., making it one of the more common cancer types. Recently, NHL has become one of the primary injuries in a number of class action mass torts because it has been linked to chronic exposure to certain chemicals. NHL is also at issue in many medical malpractice cases involving diagnostic errors.

This page will provide a basic medical overview of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and discuss its involvement in various product liability and mass tort cases.

The Lymphatic System

November 10, 2022

Hair Relaxer and Premature Birth Lawsuits

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Millions of Black women in the U.S. use chemical hair relaxers or “hair perms” to straighten their hair. The latest medical research has found, however, that the chemicals in hair relaxer products can cause pregnancy complications and lead to premature birth. Lawsuits are now being brought against the manufacturers of hair relaxers by women who used these products and had a baby born prematurely.

The lawyers at our firm are currently investigating potential new hair relaxer lawsuit cases from women who used chemical hair relaxers or hair perms for 10 years or longer and had a pregnancy that ended with a premature delivery (before 37 weeks). For a free consultation, contact our office today at 800-553-8082.

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October 16, 2022

What Is a Bellwether Trial?

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Bellwether trials are like “test” cases used is big mass torts such as class action MDLs involving hundreds or even thousands of individual plaintiffs. To understand what a bellwether trial is, you need to understand how modern mass tort litigation works.

Understanding Mass Torts

In mass tort litigation, there is a very large group of plaintiffs (anywhere from a few dozen to a few thousand) all of whom have filed lawsuits involving identical tort claims. The most common example is in the pharmaceutical context where thousands of people are injured by a defective drug (e.g., Ozempic) and they all file identical lawsuits around the same time.

September 26, 2022

Update on the Atrium C-Qur Hernia Mesh Lawsuits

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

In this post, we will provide a status update on what’s happening in the Atrium C-Qur hernia mesh litigation.

The Atrium hernia mesh MDL (Atrium Medical Corp. C-Qur Mesh Products Liability Litigation 16-md-2753) has over 2,500 cases consolidated in the U.S. District Court for New Hampshire. This is the smallest of the three hernia mesh MDLs that are currently pending around the country.

As of September 2022, the number lawsuits pending in the Atrium hernia mesh class action(the smallest of the big 3 hernia mesh MDLs) increased by 17 over the last monthly period (August 15 to September 15). This brings the total number of pending cases up to 3,308.

August 14, 2022

Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Defamation Trial

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

The jury is still out this Wednesday after Memorial Day in the defamation lawsuit filed by actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Update: Netflix recently released a new documentary film on the Jonny Depp / Amber Heard defamation trial. The show, Depp v. Heard, features clips of testimony from the trial, mostly from Johhny and Amber themselves.

Update: Johnny Deep Wins! $15 million in punitive damages. But they awarded Heard $2 million for her counterclaim. Summary: what an utter mess.

July 17, 2022

Pennsylvania Birth Injury Verdict Overturned: Charlton v. Troy

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

In Charlton v. Troy, a Pennsylvania Superior Court nixed a $40 million verdict, ordering a new trial in a birth injury lawsuit alleging excessive traction caused a severe spinal injury.

Facts of Charlton v. Troy

The case revolves around the events that occurred during the birth of the Charlton twins. Mrs. Charlton underwent routine prenatal testing at the hospital when she was 37 and a half weeks pregnant with twins. The ultrasound revealed that “Twin B” was 25 percent smaller than “Twin A,” indicating discordant growth and some tachycardia in Twin B.

June 11, 2022

Cauda Equina Syndrome Settlements and Verdicts

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Cauda equina syndrome is a neurological disorder that stems from an injury to the nerve root bundle that exits the spinal cord.

Symptoms of CES include severe back pain, weakness or numbness in the legs, bowel or bladder dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction. If not treated promptly and adequately, CES can lead to permanent nerve damage and even paralysis.

When a patient presents with symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, healthcare professionals must recognize the condition promptly and provide appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, medical malpractice can occur when healthcare providers fail to diagnose or properly treat CES, leading to permanent nerve damage, paralysis, and other long-term injuries.

If you or a loved one has suffered from CES due to medical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Our experienced malpractice attorneys can help you understand your legal rights and pursue justice via a medical malpractice lawsuit on your behalf.

The treatment for cauda equina syndrome is generally immediate surgical decompression. The sooner this can be achieved, the better. You usually have a 48-hour window of opportunity to reverse the symptoms. The malpractice lawsuits occur when the symptoms were there to be seen during that window but were missed, usually in the ER or by a primary care doctor, or by the surgical staff after spinal surgery.

Cauda Equina Syndrome Causes and Symptoms

CES is caused by compression of the cauda equina nerves located at the base of the spinal cord. The condition can result from a variety of underlying factors, including:

Herniated disc
Trauma to the spinal cord
Tumor or lesion on the spinal cord
Spinal stenosis
Infection or inflammation

Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome can include:

Severe back pain
Weakness or numbness in the legs
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Sexual dysfunction
Numbness in the groin or genital area
Loss of sensation in the buttocks, inner thighs, or back of the legs

June 5, 2022

Uterine Cancer

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Over 60,000 women in the U.S. get diagnosed with uterine cancer every year, making cancer of the uterus the 2^nd most common female cancer. Recently, uterine cancer has been linked to exposure to certain chemicals, putting this disease at the center of several mass torts, including hair relaxer lawsuits and Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuits. On this page we provide a simple overview of uterine cancer from a medical standpoint and look at how it has become involved in litigation.

The Uterus

The uterus is the largest female reproductive organ. This pear-shaped organ is often called the “womb” and is where human life begins in the form of fetal development during pregnancy. The uterus is comprised of 3 separate parts: (1) fundus, (2) isthmus, and (3) cervix.

April 23, 2022

Reglan Lawsuit

by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

Reglan is a pharmaceutical drug used to combat heartburn and slow gastric emptying in diabetes patients. The question is whether tardive dyskinesia (also known as TD), a neurological disorder with symptoms including repeated involuntary movements, is connected to Reglan use.

Below is a question and answer for about the Reglan lawsuits. This will read a little odd in places because much of it was written thirteen years ago. But it has 2022 additions as well, including a discussion of the possibility of a new Reglan lawsuit over the undisclosed stroke risk.

What Is Reglan?