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• Jury Awards $9 Million In Punitives In Vioxx Trial

  M. Brandon Smith | April 11, 2006 11:05 AM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  A jury reached a $9 million verdict today regarding the punitive damages phase of the latest Vioxx Trial involving John McDarby and his wife. This verdict comes just days after the same jury awarded John McDarby and his wife $4.5 million in compensatory damages for his related heart attack while using Vioxx. Tuesday's verdict brings the total award to $13.5 million for the couple.According to...

• 12 Year-Old Given Permission To Drive Ends In Two Deaths

  M. Brandon Smith | April 03, 2006 10:56 AM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  A 12 year-old girl driving a Ford F-250 recently ran off the road in Long County killing both herself and another 8 year-old passenger. Three other children were also injured in the accident when the vehicle overturned and landed in a nearby ditch. According to the William Goodwin of the Georgia State Patrol, the 12 year-old had the permission of her parents to drive the vehicle at the time of...

• Mad Cow Lawsuit Filed In Georgia

  M. Brandon Smith | March 31, 2006 2:06 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  Lawyers for Tracy Price, a Henry County school teacher, filed a lawsuit against Emory University Hospital for exposing her to the human form of mad cow disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD as it is more commonly known, is a degenerative brain disease that causes dementia, muscle problems and eventually death. According to research, most patients who begin to show symptoms of CJD die within...

• $5.6 Million Dollar Screwdriver

  M. Brandon Smith | March 28, 2006 2:46 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  A jury recently awarded $5.6 million to the family of Arturo Iturralde who had a screwdriver implanted in his spine after an orthopedic surgeon misplaced two titanium rods during the surgery. After cutting off the handle and placing the shaft of a stainless steel screwdriver in his patient's back, the shaft broke three days later causing serious injuries to Mr. Iturralde. As a result, Mr....

• Baycol Class Action Settlement Approved

  M. Brandon Smith | March 22, 2006 2:48 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  A state judge in Philadelphia approved a class action settlement against Bayer, the German manufacture of Baycol, that would re-pay unions, employers and various health plans for money spent on the withdrawn drug Baycol. The national class action suit could result in a settlement that exceeds $10 million according to lawyers handling the suit.Accodring to ABCNEWS.com:Stewart Cohen, a lawyer for...

• $50 Million Tobacco Verdict Stands

  M. Brandon Smith | March 20, 2006 3:22 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  The United States Supreme Court refused to review a $50 million damage award against Phillip Morris where a former 2-pack a day smoker died of cancer. The tobacco manufacture, which controls nearly half of the United States tobacco market, asked that the award be declared unconstitutionally excessive. The U.S. Supreme Court declined the request without further comment.According to the...

• Dietary Supplement or Illegal Steroid?

  M. Brandon Smith | March 14, 2006 4:42 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  The FDA recently warned several manufactures and distributors to stop selling unapproved drugs that contain steroids promising increased muscle, strength, and weight loss. The FDA expressed concerns that products such as Anabolic Xtreme Superdrol or Methyl-1-P by Legal Gear may cause long-term health problems for the unwary consumer. For more on Illegal Steroids click here..

• Tips On Preventing Hospital Bed Entrapment

  M. Brandon Smith | March 14, 2006 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  Each year there are number of people who become entrapped in hospital beds and suffer serious injuries as a result. Entrapments can occur when a patient's body becomes lodged between the bed rails, the mattress or various other parts of a hospital bed. Injuries suffered in this manner can lead to broken bones, strangulation, and even death.According to the FDA:Elderly patients in hospitals and...

• Advair and Serevent Get New Black Box Warning

  M. Brandon Smith | March 08, 2006 2:11 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  The FDA has announced that the popular asthma medications Advair and Serevent will now contain a new "black box" warning after discovering the medications may cause an increased risk of asthma-related death. Black box warnings are the most severe warnings the FDA can require of prescription drugs. According to Newsday.comAdvair should be used only by patients when other asthma drugs, such as...

• New Jersey Vioxx Trial Begins Today

  M. Brandon Smith | March 06, 2006 2:23 PM | 0 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  In the latest round of litigation surrounding the controversial drug Vioxx, jurors in New Jersey heard opening statements from both sides today in what could be the most pivotal Vioxx trial yet. Merck, the former producer of Vioxx, has received two defense verdicts involving the pain killer to date but lost a third trial that resulted in a $253 million dollar jury verdict for the widow of a...