Case Profiles

Drugs and Medical Products

Current Cases & Confidential Settlements. We are always investigating and prosecuting new kinds of claims, as various products, designs, and behaviors raise new problems.  For example, we are now handling a variety of medical device and pharmaceutical product cases, including Vioxx, Fosamax, Ortho Evra and Ephedrine claims.  However, we are often unable to provide case profiles for many of the drug and medical product cases we have and are prosecuting because the manufacturers make it a condition of settlement that their identities, the product involved, and the amount of the settlement be confidential. We hope that state legislatures and judges throughout the country move in the direction of prohibiting such practices.

Fatal Prescription Drug. A 45-year-old woman with no history of heart disease died unexpectedly of cardiac arrhythmia. Her physician had prescribed a combination of medications for her. The Medical Examiner determined that the cause of her death was a toxic buildup of one of those medications. We won a jury verdict in the wrongful death case tried in Lane County Circuit Court.

Childhood DPT Vaccine: Massive Brain Injury.  This product liability claim was against Connaught Laboratories, Inc., a pharmaceutical manufacturer. We associated with a firm in the Midwest in prosecuting this complex claim involving brain injury to a young child.

Silicone Breast Implant Litigation against Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baxter International and Baxter Healthcare, 3M, Dow Corning, and others. We represented over 250 women in Multi-District Litigation in U.S. District Court against the manufacturers of silicone gel breast implants. The majority of these actions were resolved through a negotiated national settlement. We also represented women who opted out of the national settlement.

Dalkon Shield Intrauterine Devices. We successfully represented women in Multi-District product liability actions against A.H. Robins arising out of the use of Dalkon Shield intrauterine devices. These cases included many medical and scientific issues and required experts in such areas as epidemiology, biology, chemistry, gynecology, and infectious diseases. We successfully prevented these and other women in the Ninth Circuit from being forced to include their claims in a class action. These cases were eventually resolved pursuant to a negotiated settlement through the bankruptcy of the manufacturer, A.H. Robins, Inc.

L-Tryptophan Litigation Against Showa Denko, KK, and Others. We represented claimants in Multi-District Litigation in U.S. District Court against a Japanese manufacturer of L-Tryptophan, and against numerous wholesalers, formulators, encapsulators, and retailers. Our firm did the lead discovery against Defendant IDE Interstate, Inc., a retailer.

Tambrands Tampons: Toxic Shock Syndrome. We handled product liability and medical negligence cases involving claims that toxic shock syndrome was caused by defective tampons. Our firm associated with Arizona counsel and had the primary responsibility on toxic shock syndrome issues. These toxic shock syndrome cases involved many scientific and medical issues and required original research by our experts to show that the products caused the illness. Our firm also associated in the prosecution of an Alaska case involving wrongful death from toxic shock syndrome.

Playtex Tampons: Toxic Shock Syndrome. Product liability action against major manufacturer arising from injury from toxic shock syndrome. The specific issue was whether defendant's tampon product was defective in causing the injuries.