Atlanta, Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
Ransdell Pierson of Reuters reported that Merck & Co (MRK.N) announced today that more than 97 percent of eligible U.S. claimants had elected to participate in its $4.85 billion proposed Vioxx settlement.
To be eligible for the proposed settlement, patients or their survivors had to have filed a Vioxx product liability lawsuit in the United States for alleged heart attacks, stroke or death or have signaled officially their intent to do so.
Vioxx had generated sales of $2.5 billion a year before the arthritis and chronic pain pill was withdrawn from U.S. drugstores almost four years ago after a Merck study showed that long-term users had twice the risk of heart attack and stroke.
A very large clinical trial of Vioxx conducted almost a decade ago showed the medicine caused about a fourfold higher risk of heart attack than the widely used painkiller naproxen.
Despite the results, the FDA allowed Vioxx to remain on the market. Then Merck heavily advertising the drug despite its knowledge of the risks.
Some good news is that many industry analysts feel the FDA has become far more careful about approving new medicines since Vioxx was taken off the market.
To be eligible for the proposed settlement, patients or their survivors had to have filed a Vioxx product liability lawsuit in the United States for alleged heart attacks, stroke or death or have signaled officially their intent to do so.
Vioxx had generated sales of $2.5 billion a year before the arthritis and chronic pain pill was withdrawn from U.S. drugstores almost four years ago after a Merck study showed that long-term users had twice the risk of heart attack and stroke.
A very large clinical trial of Vioxx conducted almost a decade ago showed the medicine caused about a fourfold higher risk of heart attack than the widely used painkiller naproxen.
Despite the results, the FDA allowed Vioxx to remain on the market. Then Merck heavily advertising the drug despite its knowledge of the risks.
Some good news is that many industry analysts feel the FDA has become far more careful about approving new medicines since Vioxx was taken off the market.
Labels: brain injury, death, injury settlements, pain, vioxx
Mack Shelby, now 57, has been a seaman for SeaRiver Maritime since 1987. He developed cancer, he alleged in a lawsuit, from over-exposure to airborne hydrocarbons, including Benzene, aboard ship.
Mr. Shelby sued the company for violation of the Jones Act, alleging negligence in failing to provide a safe place to work, failure to provide proper respiratory protection, failure to provide proper instruction and warnings of the risk of exposure, and failure to provide proper medical monitoring.
Mr. Shelby had been diagnosed with cancer of the right kidney, and it was surgically removed in August 2003. He has been cancer-free for five years, but will require annual checkups in the future. He sought $1,125,000 for past pain and suffering, $6,525,000 for future pain and suffering, and $350,000 for his future lost earnings.
The company argued that Mr. Shelby had planned to return to work and was medically fit to do so, so there was no loss of income or evidence that Shelby currently suffers from any pain or medical issues. Nevertheless, the jury returned an $8 million verdict for Mr. Shelby, finding that SeaRiver Maritime failed to provide a safe work place and that its vessels were unseaworthy. They awarded him $350,000 in personal injury, $1,125,000 for past pain and suffering, and over $6.5 million for future pain and suffering.
Do you, or does a loved one, suffer with a condition caused by work-related negligence? You don’t have to suffer without compensation if you’ve had to work in an unsafe environment. Call the Law Offices of Michael L. Neff today.
Mr. Shelby sued the company for violation of the Jones Act, alleging negligence in failing to provide a safe place to work, failure to provide proper respiratory protection, failure to provide proper instruction and warnings of the risk of exposure, and failure to provide proper medical monitoring.
Mr. Shelby had been diagnosed with cancer of the right kidney, and it was surgically removed in August 2003. He has been cancer-free for five years, but will require annual checkups in the future. He sought $1,125,000 for past pain and suffering, $6,525,000 for future pain and suffering, and $350,000 for his future lost earnings.
The company argued that Mr. Shelby had planned to return to work and was medically fit to do so, so there was no loss of income or evidence that Shelby currently suffers from any pain or medical issues. Nevertheless, the jury returned an $8 million verdict for Mr. Shelby, finding that SeaRiver Maritime failed to provide a safe work place and that its vessels were unseaworthy. They awarded him $350,000 in personal injury, $1,125,000 for past pain and suffering, and over $6.5 million for future pain and suffering.
Do you, or does a loved one, suffer with a condition caused by work-related negligence? You don’t have to suffer without compensation if you’ve had to work in an unsafe environment. Call the Law Offices of Michael L. Neff today.
Labels: cancer, lost income, negligence, pain, personal injury
Our firm has had two premises liability verdicts in February. In the first, a United States District Court jury returned a verdict for $340,000 in a negligent security case. A truck driver parked his truck at a local truck stop. The truck stop had only 1 security guard on duty despite knowing of prior violent crimes. The client was hit on the back of the head and suffered a concussion (a mild brain injury) and a herniated disc in his neck. The plaintiff later had surgery to have his spine fused.
In the second, a Canadian family was staying at a local hotel. The water temperature in the shower was allowed to reach scalding levels and the father suffered a second degree burn which caused a scar on his chest. Attorney Dwayne Adams presented evidence showing that the Defendant had destroyed evidence relating to maintenance records. An expert showed how the boiler was 35 years old and the hotel knew that it had frequently hit unsafe temperatures. The Dekalb County jury returned a verdict of $75,000 for pain and suffering.
In the second, a Canadian family was staying at a local hotel. The water temperature in the shower was allowed to reach scalding levels and the father suffered a second degree burn which caused a scar on his chest. Attorney Dwayne Adams presented evidence showing that the Defendant had destroyed evidence relating to maintenance records. An expert showed how the boiler was 35 years old and the hotel knew that it had frequently hit unsafe temperatures. The Dekalb County jury returned a verdict of $75,000 for pain and suffering.
Labels: avoiding personal injury, brain, damages, pain, spine, suffering, trial, verdict
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