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Recent studies have established that prolonged use or exposure to the industrial herbicide paraquat (Grameoxone) can lead to the development of early onset Parkinson’s disease. Now thousands of agriculture workers are filing paraquat lawsuits alleging that they developed Parkinson’s as a result of occupational exposure to paraquat.

The paraquat cases have been consolidated into a “class action” MDL which should eventually results in a global settlement with payments to all claimants. This post will look at how much settlement compensation paraquat plaintiffs might reasonably expect to get.

Related Paraquat Posts

Clinical studies have conclusively shown that baby formula made from cow’s milk, such as Similac and Enfamil, is dangerous to premature infants because they significantly increase the risk of a dangerous infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Over the last year, a growing number of product liability lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Similac and Enfamil by parents of premature babies who developed NEC. These NEC formula lawsuits allege that the formula makers knew their products were dangerous to preemies and deliberately failed to warn about the risk of NEC.

In this post, we will look at the current status of the infant formula NEC lawsuits against the manufacturers of Enfamil and Similac. We will look at where these NEC formula lawsuits are being filed, how many are currently pending, who the major players are on both sides (plaintiff and defendant), and other details.

UPDATES:

From the early 1950s to the later 1980s the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina provided residents and employees with drinking water that was heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals. Extensive scientific research has revealed that the poisoned water supply at Camp Lejeune had a devastating impact on the long-term health of base residents who have suffered significantly higher rates of birth defects, cancer, and neurological conditions.

Many of the victims of the Camp Lejeune water contamination have brought civil lawsuits seeking financial settlements for their injuries. Unfortunately, a harsh law in North Carolina called a statute of repose has effectively blocked all of these victims from pursuing their claims and getting the justice they deserve. Now, however, the U.S. Congress is poised to fix this injustice by passing a new federal law that will give former Lejeune residents the ability to file water contamination lawsuits despite the law in North Carolina.

Overview of Camp Lejeune Military Base

The Gardasil HPV vaccine was developed by Merck & Co. and pushed onto the market in 2006. Since then, the Gardasil vaccine has been administered to millions of adolescent girls in the U.S. Recent research has established that the Gardasil HPV vaccine can induce a host of autoimmune disorders including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Orthostatic Intolerance (OI), and many other conditions. These women are now bringing Gardasil vaccine lawsuits against Merck.

The Gardasil HPV Vaccine

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a pervasive virus that is easily transmitted through any skin-to-skin contact. HPV is often transmitted through sexual contact and it is the most common of all STDs. HPV is so common that an estimated 75% of the adult population will contract HPV during their lifetime.  For the most part, HPV is a harmless virus. However, an extremely small percentage of untreated HPV cases in women can lead to the development of cervical cancer.

The cancer drug Ukoniq (umbralisab) is now under investigation by the FDA after a pair of clinical trials indicated that the drug may increase the risk of death for patients.

Ukoniq is a drug approved to treat two kinds of lymphomas, which are cancers directly impacting the body’s immune system.  Unlike most cancer drugs, Ukoniq is not a type of chemotherapy. Ukoniq is considered a targeted therapy (kinase inhibitor) which works by blocking at least two different enzymes that can be found in cancerous cells.

History of Ukoniq

A new study has revealed that Neptazane, a popular prescription drug used for the treatment of glaucoma, can cause some users to develop a serious and extremely painful skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. This could potentially lead to some product liability lawsuits by individuals who used Neptazane and developed SJS.

What is Neptazane?

Neptazane (methazolamide) is a prescription drug that is often used to treat specific types of glaucoma and other ophthalmologic abnormalities. Glaucoma is a condition of the eyes that causes visual loss in one or both eyes by damaging the optic nerve. Fluid buildup behind the eye is the most common cause of this condition.

Hundreds of consumers have filed product liability lawsuits against pressure cooker manufacturers in recent years. The lawsuits allege that the pressure cookers had a design defect which caused the device to malfunction resulting in severe burns to the user. The following is what you need to know about defective pressure cooker lawsuits.

How can defective pressure cookers cause injuries?

Pressure cookers may have a design defect that causes them to malfunction during use and eject hot liquid and food upwards. This has caused numerous severe burns and other injuries. Some models also have a defect that causes the top lid to eject like a projectile and strike users in the face.

Recent studies suggest associations between the anti-epileptic drug Depakote and adverse health effects. One study found that it increased the death risk in post-stroke epilepsy patients. Another found an association between Depakote use during pregnancy and the Autism and ADHD risk in children. In addition, individuals have filed lawsuits in France against Sanofi, the European manufacturer of Depakote.

About Depakote 

Valproate, known by the brand name Depakote, is an anti-epileptic medication. It treats symptoms associated with epilepsy, seizures, bipolar disorder, and migraines. Depakote comes in 125, 250, and 500 mg delayed-release tablets, 250 and 500 mg extended-release tablets, and 125 mg sprinkle capsules. The Chicago-based biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie manufactures this drug in the United States, while Sanofi manufactures it in Europe.

After spending the last few years under siege from Roundup lawsuits, Bayer AG announced in a recent quarterly earnings report that it has tentatively settled 98,000 Roundup lawsuits. While it continues to work on settling the remaining Roundup cases, Bayer is telling investors that future Roundup liabilities will depend on the outcome of the company’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

About the Roundup Lawsuits

If you are reading this post, you probably already know about the downfall of the popular weedkiller Roundup and the mass tort litigation that it spawned. This section is for those that are new to the Roundup saga.

The 5^th bellwether trial in the 3M earplugs litigation wrapped up yesterday and as we write the jury is in its second day of deliberations. A significant piece of evidence in the trial will be a confidential Air Force Memorandum that defense counsel for 3M desperately fought to exclude from evidence. Just before trial, Judge M. Casey Rogers blasted defense counsel for trying yet again to get keep the memo out.

The 5^th Bellwether Case: Michelle Blum v. 3M

The trial that concluded on Thursday was the 5^th “bellwether case” in the massive 3M combat arms earplugs litigation which is the largest consolidated mass tort in U.S. history. Over 200,000 plaintiffs have filed earplug lawsuits against 3M  claiming that the company’s earplugs were defective and failed to protect them from hearing damage.