Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits

Millions of Americans suffer from heartburn, ulcers, and acid reflux. Medications like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium are commonly prescribed and taken to prevent these painful health conditions. Unfortunately, these medications, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), may do more harm than good. A recent study out of San Diego reveals that PPIs are linked to higher rates of kidney disease.

Despite this information, pharmaceutical companies have continued to market and sell their best-selling medications. As a result, 10 percent of American adults may be at risk of developing an avoidable and potentially life-threatening health condition.

Pharmaceutical Companies Aggressively Market Dangerous Drugs

For decades, people suffering from heartburn have turned to proton pump inhibitors for help. PPIs gained a lot of popularity, in part, due to an aggressive marketing campaign. It’s hard to turn on your TV or pass a billboard without seeing Larry the Cable guy gushing about the benefits of Prilosec.

Nexium, another popular PPI, has been marketed as the “purple pill.” Medications pushed by a goofy comic or referred to in such a lighthearted manner couldn’t possibly be dangerous, right? Wrong.

Decades of studies have revealed that long-term PPI use is associated with a host of health issues. Patients taking a PPI have reported a variety of adverse health events, including:

  • Kidney injuries
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Liver damage
  • Infection
  • Dementia, and
  • Cancer.

These studies haven’t stopped AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies from pouring millions of dollars into advertising campaigns. However, these campaigns failed to mention these possible health risks.

Heartburn Patients Are Suing Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to design, create, and sell safe drugs. If a company knows that a medication may be dangerous, it has an obligation to warn consumers. When a company fails to warn patients and doctors about known health risks, it can be liable for injuries and harm.

Thousands of heartburn patients are suing pharmaceutical companies over PPI-related injuries. The proton pump inhibitor lawsuits accuse the companies of:

  • Manufacturing and marketing a dangerous drug, and
  • Failing to warn patients about health risks associated with the use of PPIs.

Plaintiffs claim that they could have opted for a different treatment and avoided injury if they’d known the risks associated with taking a PPI.

While some PPI injury lawsuits have been settled, many are still pending in state and federal courts across the country.

What Damages Can Injured Proton Pump Inhibitor Patients Recover?

In California, plaintiffs in product liability lawsuits are entitled to ask for economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages are awarded to offset the financial costs of an unexpected injury. An award of economic damages should help to put a victim back in the financial position they were in before they were injured. Examples of economic damages include:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Disability, and
  • Reduced earning capacity.

Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for injuries that are difficult to value in terms of dollars and cents. These awards are very subjective and often vary significantly from one case to another. Examples of non-economic damages include:

In some cases, a court may approve an award of punitive damages. Punitive damages are appropriate when a defendant acts fraudulently or intends to cause harm. Juries may be inclined to award punitive damages in PPI injury cases if they believe that pharmaceutical companies intentionally hid health risks from patients.

Do not hesitate to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer if you believe that you’ve developed health issues while taking a PPI. You may have the right to file a lawsuit and recover compensation for your injuries.

Monsanto Continues to Sell Roundup in California, Despite Evidence Suggesting Cancer Link

For decades, controversy has surrounded Roundup weed killer, one of the most widely-used pesticides in the world. Monsanto, the pesticide manufacturer, maintains that its product is perfectly safe. However, several scientific studies seem to suggest that Roundup isn’t safe. In fact, one recent study revealed that exposure to Roundup increases the risk of developing cancer by as much as 41 percent.

There may also be hard evidence to support these scientific studies. Many individuals claim to have developed cancer after being exposed to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate. Despite this information, Monsanto continues to market and sell Roundup in California and other states across the country.

Companies Have an Obligation to Warn Consumers About Risks

When a company sells or markets a product in California, it has to make sure that the product is safe. In fact, under California state product liability laws, companies can be held strictly liable harm caused by defects in their products. In other words, a company doesn’t necessarily have to know that a product is dangerous or defective to be liable for a consumer’s injuries.

There are three main types of product defects: design, manufacturing, and marketing.

  • Design Defect. A design defect exists when a product is dangerous because of the way it was designed. Is the product unnecessarily or unreasonably dangerous? Is there a reasonable and safer alternative for the product’s design? If so, a company may be liable for harm caused by a design defect.
  • Manufacturing Defect. A manufacturing defect exists when a product is not manufactured according to its blueprints and design. In other words, there is an issue in the manufacturing process that prevents the product from being created as intended.
  • Marketing Defect. A marketing defect exists when a product lacks necessary warnings of known or potential hazards, dangers, or risks.

Companies can also be liable if they knew or should have known that their product was unreasonably dangerous or carried any health risks. Consumers deserve to be fully informed before using a product. If a consumer isn’t made aware of risks associated with the use of a product, they can’t make an informed decision. As a result, their health and safety can be put in serious jeopardy.

Consumers injured by defective or dangerous products can file product liability lawsuits to recover compensation for harm they suffer.

Monsanto Facing More Than 11,000 Roundup Injury Lawsuits

After developing cancer and other health issues, many individuals decided to file product liability lawsuits against Monsanto. As of March 2019, the company has been named in more than 11,000 Roundup injury lawsuits.

The vast majority of these cases were initiated after Monsanto lost the first Roundup injury case to go to trial. There, a jury ordered the company to pay a California man $289 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The jury believed that the man developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after being exposed to the company’s controversial pesticide. It also believed that Monsanto concealed information about the health risks associated with glyphosate and failed to warn the man about those risks.

Another Roundup injury trial is currently underway. There, another California man sued the company after he also developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup weed killer. A similar result in this trial could force Monsanto’s hand and encourage them to settle other pending lawsuits.

Anyone injured because of Roundup exposure has the right to pursue compensation. It’s important to find an experienced personal injury lawyer to understand your legal options. Contact our legal team today to learn more.

See a Doctor After Your Accident. Your Health and Injury Claim Will Thank You

Going to the hospital is one of the most important things you can do after a car accident. This is true even if you don’t think that you’ve been injured badly in the crash. In fact, it may be even more important to go if you think you’re okay. Why? There are three primary reasons.

Three Reasons You Need to See a Doctor Immediately After an Accident

First, if left untreated, injuries can pose a serious threat to your health and safety. Going to the doctor right away will help to rule out any internal injuries that wouldn’t have been able to identify on your own. Your doctor can make sure that you get the medical treatment you need to keep you safe.

Second, going to the hospital will help to establish a link between the accident and your injuries. You’re only entitled to recover compensation for injuries that were caused by your accident. According to Nick Movagar, a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles, “You should go to the ER right away and get your injuries documented to have more evidence that those injuries were due to the accident.”

“You can weaken your car accident claim by waiting to see a doctor”, attorney Movagar said. The defendant may argue that there’s no hard evidence to show that the accident caused your injuries. A medical evaluation completed shortly after your accident will help to support your case.

Third, seeing a doctor for an assessment will help to show that you took reasonable steps to identify your injuries after the accident. This is important, because some injuries may not be evident right away. In fact, you may think that you’re perfectly fine until days, weeks, or months later when you begin to experience symptoms.

In California, you have two years to file a lawsuit for damages after an accident. What happens if you don’t realize that you’ve been injured until the deadline to file has come and gone? Delayed discovery of your injuries could allow you to file a lawsuit after the initial statute of limitations has expired.

However, it’s important to note that you must have failed to discover the injury despite reasonable efforts to do so.

Car Accident Injuries That May Not Show Up Right Away

Some car accident injuries will be very obvious after an accident. You’ll probably know that you’ve broken a bone or dislocated a joint. However, other injuries may not be clear to you right away. In fact, you may not even begin to experience symptoms until long after the accident.

Soft Tissue Injury: Soft tissue injuries involve damage to the muscle, tendons, and/or ligaments. This can include bruising, sprains, strains, and whiplash. That’s right. Whiplash, one of the most common car accident injuries, is a soft tissue injury that often goes unnoticed right away.

It’s important to keep an eye out for any common signs of a soft tissue injury, including limited mobility, painful movement, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and swelling.

Head Injury: Sometimes car accident victims will not know that they’ve suffered a serious head injury. This is particularly true if the victim did not seek medical attention after their accident. It’s also easy to dismiss the symptoms of a head injury.

A victim may simply believe that their discomfort is normal or brought on by stress. In truth, however, signs of a head injury likely indicate that you have a head injury. Seek medical attention immediately if you begin to experience headaches, loss of consciousness, blurred vision, difficulty speaking, limited mobility, unexplained anger or irritability, or seizures.

Emotional Trauma: You’re not only at risk of suffering physical injuries in a car accident. Victims, particularly those involved in violent crashes, can experience severe pain and suffering damages. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is incredibly common after an accident.

However, the signs and symptoms of PTSD often take time to manifest. A victim may not truly identify the extent of their trauma until long after the accident. Signs of PTSD may include guilt, loneliness, withdrawal from social activities, hostility and agitation, insomnia, and flashbacks.

Back Injury: A car accident can be very violent. Your body can be subjected to extreme shock and trauma. This can pose a threat to your back and spine. However, you may not notice that you’ve suffered a back injury until the accident is in your rearview mirror.

Back injuries can, and often do, become worse over time. It’s important to make sure that your injury is treated promptly. See a doctor if you experience a loss of mobility or begin to experience swelling, bruising, or pain in the back.

When you’re injured in a car accident you may have the right to recover compensation. You can maximize your financial award by supporting your case with as much evidence as possible. Medical records and reports can be incredibly persuasive when your attorney is at the negotiating table. Take the time to see a doctor after your accident. You’ll be able to keep yourself safe and strengthen your legal case at the same time.