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Wright Medical, the developer and manufacturer of the Conserve metal-on-metal hip implant, has asked the federal judge overseeing the multi-district litigation in Georgia to vacate the $11 million verdict that the jury returned during the first bellwether trial. A multi-district litigation (“MDL”) is a special proceeding used to consolidate numerous lawsuits that deal with the same complex product liability issues or disaster before one judge in a centralized forum. A bellwether trial is a trial that occurs in the MDL to test the parties’ claims and defenses. Usually, the case selected for the bellwether trial contains factual and legal issues that are common to the rest of the cases in the MDL.

In November 2015, the jury returned its verdict in the first ever federal case addressing claims that Wright Medical’s metal-on-metal hip implant resulted in injuries to a patient. The plaintiff alleged that although the hip implant was marketed as lasting from 15 to 20 years, she began to feel severe pain after only six years.

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Earlier this month, a Nebraska court heard a case brought by a woman who was injured when she stepped back to avoid an approaching dog that she thought was going to attack her. The court ultimately determined that the plaintiff’s case should be able to proceed towards trial, despite the fact that the dog did not bite her, since she alleged that her injuries were still the result of a dangerous dog.

Grammer v. Lucking: The Facts of the Case

The facts of the case are fairly straightforward. A woman and her husband approached a neighbor’s yard with two dogs present. One of the dogs was chained, and the other was not. As the couple approached, the dog ran toward them. The woman, fearing that the approaching dog would attack her, stepped backwards and lost her balance, falling to the ground and injuring her arm. The woman filed a lawsuit against the owner of the dogs.

The trial court dismissed the case against the defendant, claiming that under the relevant state statute, the evidence was insufficient to show that the injury was caused by the dog “chasing” the plaintiff. However, on appeal, the court reversed the decision, holding that the lower court’s definition of “chase” was too narrow, and the evidence presented was sufficient to show that the injuries were caused by the dog chasing the plaintiff.

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Johnson & Johnson, fabricante de la marca Ethicon de productos de malla transvaginal, ha acordado pagar $120 millones para resolver las primeras 2,000 a 3,000 demandas presentadas en corte alegando que los productos hizo que los demandantes sufrieran lesiones y daños graves. Esta es la primera vez que Johnson & Johnson ha entrado en un acuerdo que abarca un número considerable de casos en relación con el producto Ethicon. En el pasado, ha establecido casos de uno en uno. Hasta ahora, el fabricante había disminuido toda oportunidad para negociar con los demandantes y sus abogados, así como los muchos otros fabricantes de aparatos médicos involucrados en disputas de malla transvaginal.

Productos de malla transvaginal están diseñados para tratar una serie de condiciones que incluyen el prolapso de órganos pélvicos. Reclamaciones de los demandantes sostienen en gran medida, sin embargo, que los productos dieron lugar a graves daños de órganos, dolor constante, y otras lesiones devastadoras. En algunos casos, el dispositivo de malla transvaginal se hizo mas chico después de ser implantados, lo que resulta en dolor y lesiones graves. En junio del 2012, Johnson & Johnson acordaron remover algunos de sus productos del mercado. Continue reading →

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Johnson & Johnson, a manufacturer of Ethicon brand transvaginal mesh products, has agreed to pay $120 million to settle the first 2,000 to 3,000 lawsuits filed against it alleging that the products caused the plaintiffs severe injuries and damages. This is the first time that Johnson & Johnson has entered into a settlement encompassing a substantial number of cases regarding the Ethicon product. In the past, it has settled a few cases on a one-at-a-time basis. Until now, the manufacturer has mostly declined opportunities to negotiate with plaintiffs and their counsel as well as the numerous other device manufacturers involved in transvaginal mesh disputes.

Transvaginal mesh products are designed to treat a number of conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse. The plaintiffs’ claims largely contend, however, that the products resulted in severe organ damage, constant pain, and other devastating injuries. In some cases, the transvaginal mesh device shrank after being implanted, resulting in severe pain and injuries. In June 2012, Johnson & Johnson agreed to remove some of its product lines from the market.

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The Air Quality Management District in California has filed an action against SoCalGas, seeking damages associated with the large-scale methane gas leak that has caused numerous incidences of illness throughout the San Fernando Valley region. The lawsuit seeks a total of $440,000 in damages for each day of the leak, and it indicates that the leak has occurred for over 95 days. The lawsuit alleges claims for public nuisance as well as negligence against SoCalGas in the operation of its Aliso Canyon facility. The lawsuit also alleges that the defendant failed to respond properly to the leak.

The Aliso Canyon leak has made numerous headlines in recent weeks, as the uncontrolled and massive leak of natural gas from a well connected to an underground storage facility in the region continues. The gas storage facility is the second-largest storage facility of this type in the nation and belongs to Southern California Gas Company. Some sources indicate that the environmental harm that has occurred and continues to occur as a result of the leak is more substantial and severe than the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred off the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico during 2010. On January 6, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown dubbed the gas leak a state of emergency.

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Cada año en los Estados Unidos, hay aproximadamente 32,000 personas muertas en accidentes de tráfico. Muchos más sufren daños graves y debilitantes que duran toda la vida. Los accidentes ocurren por muchas razones. Hay tormentas de nieve y hielo en la carretera, y la mayoría de los conductores sin querer manejan hacia otro carril o ven a otro conductor en su punto ciego.

A veces los accidentes son el resultado de que conductores de estan cansados, intoxicados, o distraídos, a menudo por los mensajes de texto o por hablar por teléfono. Cuando esto ocurre, los conductores, pasajeros, peatones, y los propietarios de terreno dañado pueden demandar por negligencia y ser compensados por sus pérdidas. En Illinois, los perjudicados pueden recuperar pérdidas fuera de su bolsillo, al igual que los salarios perdidos y la reducción de ingresos en el futuro, así como las lesiones menos tangibles, como el dolor y el sufrimiento y la angustia emocional.

Algunos accidentes son también el resultado de piezas de automóviles defectuosos. En estos casos, los perjudicados pueden entablar una demanda por compensación, y que ni siquiera tienen que comprobar la negligencia. Si una parte es defectuosa, y la parte era defectuoso cuando salió de la posesión de la automotriz, el demandante tiene derecho a recuperar de las lesiones causadas por el defecto. Continue reading →

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Each year in the United States, there are approximately 32,000 people killed in car accidents. Many more suffer severe and debilitating injuries that last a lifetime. Accidents occur for many reasons. There are snow storms and icy road conditions, and most drivers have at one point or another inadvertently drifted into another lane or not seen another driver hiding in his or her blind spot at some point or another.

Sometimes accidents are the result of drivers being tired, intoxicated, or distracted, often by texting or talking on the phone. When this occurs, injured drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and property owners can sue for negligence and be compensated for their losses. In Illinois, injured parties can recover for out-of-pocket losses, like lost wages and reduced future income, as well as less tangible injuries, like pain and suffering and emotional distress.

Some accidents are also the result of defective auto parts. In these cases, injured parties can sue for compensation, and they do not even have to prove negligence. If a part is defective, and the part was defective when it left the automaker’s possession, the plaintiff is entitled to recover for any injuries caused by the defect.

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Una demanda presentada por el Procurador General de California alegando que las galletas Nabisco Ginger Snap contienen nueve veces la cantidad de plomo permitido según la ley de California, ha llegado a un acuerdo de $750.000. El Fiscal General de California, junto con 11 fiscales del distrito, interpuso el recurso contra la sociedad matriz Mondelēz International, originalmente parte de Kraft Foods, en el Condado de Orange, el 21 de enero, en busca de daños de acuerdo con Agua Potable Segura de California y el Toxic Enforcement Act, también conocido como Proposición 65.

El plomo plantea graves riesgos para los seres humanos debido a sus propiedades como una neurotoxina. La ingestión de plomo afecta al sistema nervioso central y puede causar lesiones graves como el cáncer, problemas de reproducción, defectos de nacimiento, e incluso la muerte. Cuando los niños consumen plomo, se enfrentan aún más graves síntomas y enfermedades, incluyendo retraso en el desarrollo, lentitud, y vómitos. Los adultos que ingieren plomo durante un período sostenido de tiempo comúnmente presentan síntomas como pérdida de memoria, dolor abdominal, cambios de humor, y la presión arterial alta. Continue reading →

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A lawsuit brought by the California Attorney General claiming that Nabisco Ginger Snap cookies contain nine times the amount of lead allowed according to California law has settled for $750,000. The California Attorney General, alongside 11 district attorneys, brought the action against parent company Mondelez International, originally part of Kraft Foods, in the County of Orange on January 21, seeking damages according to California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, also known as Proposition 65.

Lead poses serious risks to humans due to its properties as a neurotoxin. The ingestion of lead affects the central nervous system and can result in severe injuries like cancer, reproductive disabilities, birth defects, and even death. When children consume lead, they face even more serious symptoms and illnesses, including developmental delay, sluggishness, and vomiting. Adults who ingest lead over a sustained period of time commonly exhibit symptoms like memory loss, abdominal pain, mood changes, and high blood pressure.

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In many cases, it is difficult to prevail in a lawsuit against the government. This is because federal, state, and local governments are all entitled to a certain level of immunity. Generally speaking, this means that as long as a government employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment when an injury to another person occurs, the government is not liable, even if the employee acted negligently, or without reasonable care. In Illinois, this is called qualified immunity.

While qualified immunity shields governments from having to compensate many injured parties, the immunity enjoyed by governments does not protect against liability in every single case. In some cases, if a government employee’s actions are particularly egregious, the government may be liable for damages. In these situations, an injured party must prove that the government acted with utter indifference or a conscious disregard for the health and safety of others or their property. In Illinois, this may also be referred to as gross negligence, or willful and wanton conduct.

Illinois, like many other states, provides qualified immunity to its government employees so that they may carry out their jobs without fear of being sued. However, as we have seen in cases involving police misconduct, sometimes this immunity backfires, and state employees act as though they are above the law entirely.

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