Bayer is the leading manufacturer of birth control pills, and their development of a new contraceptive pill comes at a time when Bayer is still dealing with the fall out from alleged serious side effects from its previous birth control drug Yaz.

Across the U.S., almost 3,000 women are suing Bayer alleging serious injuries related to the use of the drug. Side effects may include blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, strokes, heart attacks, gall bladder damage, and kidney problems. In certain cases, women have died suddenly. Learn more about dangerous Yaz side effects and Yaz lawsuits.

Yaz side effects and Yaz lawsuits

William Kokoszka, a 54 year-old Connecticut resident, has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Zimmer Inc., for extreme pain and injuries due to a defective artificial hip manufactured by Zimmer.

In each case, the patient experienced excruciating pain following implantation of the Zimmer Durom Cup and all have, or soon will, be forced to undergo a painful revision surgery.

“At my age, I wanted to continue my active lifestyle, including spending time with my family, working with my charities, traveling with my husband, and being able to perform basic daily activities,” stated Renee Donnelly, age 74, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, one of the patients that filed a lawsuit.  “However, once I was implanted with the defective Durom Cup, my life became very limited.”

“I used to lead a very fulfilling and active lifestyle, traveling abroad, exercising regularly, volunteering, and working in my garden.  Now, my life is so limited due to the pain that the defective Durom Cup implant has caused me,” stated plaintiff Karen Hoggarth, age 54, of  Westerville, Ohio. “I can’t even walk up the stairs without pain.”

“The quality of life physically and mentally, today and in the future, for myself and my family has been permanently damaged by the defective Zimmer Durom Cup I received in 2006,” added William Kokoszka, another plaintiff from Meriden, Connecticut.  “Zimmer should be accountable for its negligence and disregard for the safety of patients implanted with the Zimmer Durom Cup.”

Zimmer Durom Cup Lawsuits

The Durom Cup was first sold in the nation in 2006 and was implanted in over 12,000 patients over a two year period.  The estimated failure rates of the Durom Cup ranges between 20% and 30%.

After the Durom Cup was introduced in the United States, Zimmer began receiving complaints from physicians that the artificial hip was failing.  “Despite warnings from leading orthopedic surgeons, Zimmer continued to aggressively market the Durom Cup in 2007 and into 2008, blaming surgeons for the growing failure rate,” stated attorney Wendy R. Fleishman of the national law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.

Learn more about the Zimmer Durom Cup and defective hip implant lawsuits.

Walter Thomas, a 63-year-old retired manufacturing plant supervisor, may be left with a permanent limp, he alleges in a personal injury lawsuit filed against Zimmer Inc, the manufacturer of his faulty artificial hip implant.

Thomas, a 63-year-old retired manufacturing plant manager, endured agonizing pain for months, many hip dislocations, two revision surger

ies, and has been left with a potentially lasting limp due to Zimmer’s allegedly defective hip implant.

“This has been a very trying time in my life for me and my family,” Thomas stated.  “When my artificial hip was implanted in May of 2007, I was hoping for a quick recovery.  Never did I think that I would have to endure two additional surgeries, three hip dislocations which resulted in trips to the Emergency Room, several weeks of physical therapy, and the frightening prospect of being permanently handicapped because of Zimmer’s faulty product.  To me, this lawsuit is about holding Zimmer accountable for what they did to me.”

“Zimmer’s belated suspension of sales of its defective product was too little, too late for Mr. Thomas and for countless other folks, who needed safe and effective hip implants to restore their ability to sit, stand and walk without excruciating pain” stated Thomas’ attorney Mark P. Chalos of national law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.
“Now, those same men and women suffer from pain worse than before the ‘fix’ to their hips, and some, like Mr. Thomas have permanent limps. Zimmer should do right by Mr. Thomas and his family.”

Learn more about Durom Cup injuries and the rights of victims.

In April 2010, Ms. Mercado was diagnosed with a severe lung disease as a result of her exposure to ConAgra’s microwave popcorn which contained butter flavorings with added diacetyl. The disease is associated with inhaling butter flavoring vapors and has been identified as bronchiolitis obliterans — literally, an obliteration of the lung’s airways. Breathing tests can identify difficulty in moving air in and out of the lungs, called lung obstruction. In the case of bronchiolitis obliterans, that obstruction is “fixed,” meaning it doesn’t respond to normal asthma medications.

About her injury, Ms. Mercado stated, “I have always taken good care of myself and never would have thought that something as seemingly harmless as eating microwave popcorn would have hurt me so badly.” The lawsuit charges that Ms. Mercado sustained a severe lung disease after consuming microwave popcorn containing the butter flavoring chemical diacetyl. The chemical is used for the aroma and taste in butter, some cheeses and snack and bakery products.

Learn more about diacetyl injuries and the rights of victims of diacetyl-related lung diseases.

On April 30, 2010, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of thousands of Simplicity cribs due to suffocation and strangulation dangers. The current recall includes seven Simplicity crib models sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Babies R Us and other national stores. The Simplicity recall includes all full-sized cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames, which can bend or detach, causing the mattress to collapse and creating a space that a baby can roll into, become trapped in and suffocate.

According to the CPSC, at least one child became trapped in his Simplicity crib and suffocated in 2008. The company at large has been subject to about a dozen recalls since 2005 with links to 13 crib deaths.

Graco Crib Recall

On April 30, 2010, the CPSC recalled 217,000 Graco dropside cribs manufactured by LaJobi. The agency confirmed that there have been 99 complaints of dropside problems with the cribs. The recall is the result of hardware failures in the wood cribs. According to news reports the dropside (the side of the crib that moves up and down) can break or detach, resulting in a dangerous gap between the crib mattress and crib side that creates the risk of suffocation or strangulation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration yesterday proposed a record civil penalty of $16.4 million, less than 2 percent of Toyota projected net profit for the year ending March 31, related to a January recall of 2.3 million U.S. autos for accelerator pedals that allegedly stick. Toyota failed to act in a timely manner after knowing of the problem since at least September 2009, LaHood said.

“It certainly bolsters our cases,” said Robert J. Nelson, a lawyer at San Francisco-based Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, who has filed 20 lawsuits on behalf of individual clients claiming personal injuries or deaths caused by sudden- acceleration incidents. “It demonstrates Toyota has been less than forthright with the U.S. government and with consumers.”

The Japanese automaker waited at least four months before telling the agency that accelerator pedals might stick, LaHood said yesterday in a statement. Companies have five business days to report safety defects, the agency said.

Read the full article on the SF Gate website.

On March 31, 2010, both the Bates and Dilworth families filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Yamaha Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America.

Commenting on their daughter, Melissa and Richard Lee Bates, of Southaven, Mississippi, stated:

Photo of Emily Bates

“Emily Ann was a very happy child. She always had a smile on her face, loved her friends and siblings. She was a 6th grader at Southaven Middle School where she played the trumpet in band. When Emily was 4 she took up soccer. Soccer became her passion, playing year round. She had great dreams of playing on the U.S. Olympic Soccer team.”

Commenting on their daughter, Aundria and Thomas Dilworth, Olive Branch, Mississippi, stated:

Photo of Lauren Dilworth

“Lauren Elizabeth was an amazing child her entire life. She was an honor roll student until her untimely death, she was in the gifted programs at both Hampton Cove Elementary in Huntsville, Alabama, and at Lewisburg Middle School. These programs allowed her to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. She was always interested in dance and was able to take 2 years of ballet while our family lived in Huntsville, Alabama before moving to Mississippi.

Mark P. Chalos of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is representing  both the Bates and Dilworth families in wrongful death lawsuit against Yamaha Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America.

“The lawsuit charges that the Yamaha Rhino is dangerously unstable and contains multiple design and engineering flaws increasing the likelihood of fatal injuries to occupants in the event of an accident,” stated Mr. Chalos. “Yamaha’s disregard for safety and the numerous defects in the Rhino, as alleged in the complaint, led to the deaths of Emily Ann Bates and Lauren Elizabeth Dilworth.”

Learn more about Yamaha Rhino lawsuits.

The technical service bulletin went to every U.S. Toyota dealership in late August 2002 after some customers reported their vehicles were speeding up unexpectedly.

“Some 2002 model year Camry vehicles may exhibit a surging during light throttle input at speeds between 38-42 mph,” the bulletin states. “The Engine Control Module (ECM) calibration has been revised to correct this condition.”

Read the full article on CNN.com.

Lieff Cabraser represents victims of Toyota and Lexus sudden acceleration accidents in personal injury lawsuits.

The evening of November 1, 2008, Andrew and a friend drove the brand new Jetta to another friend’s house. After visiting, Andrew and his friend started to return to the Fiedler’s home. Both Andrew and his friend were seat belted into the vehicle.

At approximately 8:22 p.m., while traveling on Holbens Valley Road, in the County of Lehigh, Pennsylvania, the 2008 Jetta S lost control.  It struck a guard rail, causing it to fishtail, so that the rear of the vehicle was facing the opposite direction from their initial travel. The left rear was then struck by an oncoming vehicle.

During the impact, the inside back support part of the seat frame of Andrew’s seat – the part that connects the reclineable back of the seat to the lower frame of the seat – sheered into two pieces, causing Andrew’s seat to collapse backward on the right side. As a result, Andrew was no longer supported by the seat. Nor was he restrained by the seat belt.

The force of the collision propelled Andrew toward the right rear of the vehicle. Andrew’s head hit an area to the right of the rear seat in the right rear of the passenger compartment, shattering his skull and killing him.

Why Volkswagen Is Liable

Wendy R. Fleishman of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is representing Kathleen and James Fiedler in a wrongful death lawsuit the parents filed against Volkswagen of America. The complaint charges that a defectively designed and manufactured car seat in the 2008 Jetta S played a direct role in the death of Andrew Fiedler.

“Absent the cheap and poorly made seat support in the Jetta which broke in the collision, the complaint charges that Andrew would have walked away from the accident and be alive today,” stated Ms. Fleishman.

“Andrew touched and filled the lives of so many with joy in a very short time. He struggled initially in college, but he found his focus and decided to major in Hotel and Resort Management. He aspired to open his own restaurant one day,” Mrs. Fiedler stated. “We hope that this lawsuit prompts Volkswagen to manufacture cars that are in fact safe, not simply advertised as being safe. Other parents should not suffer the profound grief we have experienced.”

Learn more about the importance of well-designed and constructed car seats how a defective seat that collapses in a car accident can be fatal.

In their lawsuits, Andrew Flury of Pasadena and retired Army Col. Harry Williams of Woodbridge say they suffered severe injuries after the cars they were driving suddenly accelerated — an issue that generated a major recall of millions of Toyotas.

Their attorney, Todd Walburg of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, blamed an electronic throttle system for the unintended acceleration and said the system also operated without a brake override system that could have prevented throttle problems.

Read the full article on the Washington Post website. Learn more about Toyota sudden acceleration accidents and the rights of victims.