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Boeing 737 Diverted After Passengers Get Sick from Odor on Board

Mar 30, 2019

Early yesterday morning, United Flight 1675 from Baltimore-Washington International to San Francisco International was diverted to Washington Dulles International after a strong odor in the cabin caused passengers to fall ill. On arrival into Washington, D.C., emergency medical and rescue personal transported a number of passengers to local hospitals. The plane was a Boeing 737, and this is not the first such incident with this type of aircraft. Leckman Law and and its joint venture,...

$80 Million Verdict Against Monsanto in Latest Roundup Trial

Mar 27, 2019

Last week, the jury in the first phase of Hardeman v. Monsanto found that exposure to Monsanto's weedkiller, Roundup, had caused the plaintiff to develop Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Following that "causation" phase, the trial moved into the liability and damages, which completed today with the jury awarding $80 million in damages. The jury heard evidence about what the company knew and when, and is now the second jury in the country to reach a verdict against Monsanto...

Oklahoma Opioid Settlement: $270 Million

Mar 26, 2019

In 2017, the state of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against thirteen opioid manufacturers, asserting claims for fraud, consumer protection violations, public nuisance, and Oklahoma Medicaid violations. All of the claims stemmed from what the state attorney general characterized as the companies' "deceptive and misleading prescription opioid marketing campaign," which the complaint alleged was the cause of a devastating public health crisis and financial burden on the state of Oklahoma. In short, Oklahoma was seeking recovery...

Xarelto Litigation: $775 Million Settlement

Mar 25, 2019

The blockbuster, billion-dollar blood-thinner, Xarelto, has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits in both state and federal courts over the last few years. The lawsuits allege that the drug's joint-owners, Bayer and J&J, failed to adequately warn physicians about the risks of serious and uncontrolled bleeding injuries -- mainly gastrointestinal and brain bleeding injuries. Today, court documents showed that the two pharmaceutical titans have reached an agreement to settle the litigation for $775 million...

Boeing 737 Max 8 Grounded, Allegedly Lacking Key Safety Features

Mar 21, 2019

In the wake of two tragic crashes of flights involving Boeing's 737 Max 8 -- one in Indonesia in October 2018 and more recently, the March 2019 crash in Ethopia -- over 80 countries and dozens of airlines have grounded or banned the airplane from international air spaces. In addition to an investigation by the FAA, the FBI has allegedly launched a criminal investigation. Sources report that several key safety features -- involving software and...

Another Plaintiff Verdict in Monsanto Roundup Litigation

Mar 21, 2019

Earlier this week, the plaintiff in Hardeman v. Monsanto prevailed in the first phase of of the first bellwether trial In re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2741). A unanimous jury found that Monsanto's prize weed-killer, Roundup, caused the plaintiff to develop Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The trial now proceeds to a second phase, where the jury will decide whether Monsanto is liable for the injuries and, if so, the extent of the plaintiff's damages. This...

Another Plaintiff Verdict ($29 Million) in California Talc Trial

Mar 15, 2019

Another jury has found healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson liable for the dangers of its Johnson's Baby Powder, rendering a verdict earlier this week in favor of Plaintiff Teresa Leavitt. The case was venued in California state court and involved claims that Ms. Leavitt developed mesothelioma from asbestos in the baby powder. This is just the latest in a number of plaintiff victories in the talc injury litigation, which has seen somewhere over 13,000 cases...

TVT-O Vaginal Mesh Trial Begins in Philly

Mar 14, 2019

Yesterday marked the start of the re-trial of McFarland v. Ethicon, a products liability and injury case brought by a woman who claims permanent injuries from the implantation of Ethicon's vaginal mesh product, the TVT-O (tension-free vaginal tape, obturator). The jury heard opening statements from the parties, followed by the beginning of the plaintiff's case-in-chief. Lead Plaintiff counsel, Tracie Palmer of Kline & Specter, gave a powerful opening, telling the jury that the evidence would...

$25.5 Millon Verdict Against Aetna in Bad Faith Insurance Case

Nov 18, 2018

Last week an Oklahoma jury returned a verdict against the health insurance company Aetna and in favor of a widower whose wife had lost her battle against cancer. After being diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2014, Orrana Cunningham's doctors recommended that she receive proton beam therapy, a form of radiation therapy that would target the area of her stage 4 cancer near the brain stem. Aetna denied the coverage, and Mrs. Cunningham died from the...

FDA Commissioner Issues Statement on E-Cigs

Nov 15, 2018

Today, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. issued a statement announcing new proposed FDA initiatives to combat what the agency considers to be an epidemic of underage use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), more commonly referred to as "e-cigarettes." E-cigarettes deliver vaporized nicotine from a liquid solution that contains a variety of carcinogens and other harmful toxins. In 2016, a report by the U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigarette use by youth and young adults to...