Category Archives: Consumer Fraud
Pennsylvania Health System Proposes Comprehensive Fracking Study
A proposed study would examine the health effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) drilling on the people living closest to active natural gas wells.
New Study Links Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Corrosion with Adverse Local Tissue Reactions
Yet another study is pointing to potential dangers posed by metal-on-metal hip implants. This time, an article published in the Journal of Arthroplasty is reporting corrosion in the head taper junction was more likely to occur in patients with 36-mm diameter metal-on-metal hip replacement, compared to those with the same ...
Bayer Yaz, Yasmin Blood Clot Lawsuit Settlements Stand at $147 Million
Bayer AG reported yesterday that it continues to settle Yaz and Yasmin birth control pill lawsuits. According to a report from Bloomberg News, the company said in its latest Stockholder Newsletter that it has settled 651 Yaz and Yasmin blood clot lawsuits for a total of $147 million. The average ...
Smokers More Vulnerable to Joint Replacement Failures
People who smoke cigarettes before and after receiving a total joint replacement, such as a hip replacement device or knee implant, are far more likely to endure revision surgeries on those implants than people who don’t smoke.
Actos Side Effects Lawyers Says Whistleblower Revelations Could Boost Bladder Cancer, Heart Failure Lawsuits
An attorney with a prominent personal injury law firm says an Actos whistleblower lawsuit filed earlier this year could strengthen legal claims alleging the type 2 diabetes medication caused some users to develop bladder cancer and heart failure.
Federal DePuy ASR Hip Implant Trials Likely to Start This Year
It looks as though the first trials in the DePuy ASR hip implant multidistrict litigation could begin sometime later this year. According to a report from Bloomberg News, during a status conference held yesterday in Florida, attorneys for both plaintiffs and the defense told U.S. District Judge David Katz that ...
Pradaxa Associated with more Complications than Warfarin, According to Early Study Findings
Early results from the largest study to date to compare Pradaxa and warfarin indicate that in a real-world setting, Pradaxa causes more complications than decades-old warfarin. The preliminary study results were announced last week, during the 2012 Thrombosis and Hemostasis Summit of North America.
Failing DePuy ASR Hip Implants Sending Hundreds of Australians Back to the OR
Roughly 1,000 people in Australia have had to undergo revision surgeries because of failed DePuy ASR hip implants. According to TheAge.com, DePuy Orthopaedics has heard from more than 4,000 people in Australia and New Zealand seeking help with the recalled metal-on-metal hip replacement devices.
Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit Filed by West Virginia Resident
Actos (pioglitazone) continues to be named in lawsuits alleging long-term use of the type 2 diabetes drug caused patients to develop bladder cancer. Just last week, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP filed suit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals on behalf of a West Virginia man who developed bladder cancer ...
First DePuy ASR Hip Implant Lawsuits Head to Trial in December, January
The first trials involving lawsuits filed against DePuy Orthopaedics by recipients of its recalled ASR Hip Implants will begin later this year, and early next year. The first is slated to start on December 3, 2012 in state court in Las Vegas, Nevada. A second DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit ...
Facing Scrutiny over Tactics, Medical Debt Collector Accretive Health Seeks Dismissal of Minnesota Lawsuit
Accretive Health, the medical debt collector under scrutiny for its heavy handed tactics, has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Minnesota State Attorney General that accuses the company of breaking privacy laws. A motion filed by … Continue reading
Accretive Health Facing Scrutiny for Questionable Debt Collection Tactics at Hospitals
A debt collection agency is facing scrutiny for the heavy handed tactics it employs at some hospitals around the country. According to a report from The New York Times, Accretive Health, the nation’s largest collectors of medical debt, is facing … Continue reading
MetLife Settles With States Over Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits
Life insurance giant, MetLife has settled with more than 30 states over unclaimed life insurance benefits, agreeing to pay close to $500 million. The states claim that MetLife never provided life insurance benefits to some policyholders, wrote Bloomberg Businessweek. MetLife … Continue reading
Shop-Vac Class Action Lawsuits Question Horsepower Claims
Several class action lawsuits have recently been filed alleging that marketing claims for Shop-Vac wet/dry vacuums misrepresent the amount of horsepower delivered by the devices. According to these complaints, the horsepower delivered by Shop-Vac vacuums – which impacts the price … Continue reading
Insurance Broker Sentenced to Jail for Selling Annuity to Elderly Dementia Victim
Insurance brokers across the country are paying attention to a recent development in California in which one of their own has been arrested and jailed for selling “a complex indexed annuity” to an elderly woman with dementia. According to a … Continue reading
Prudential Financial Faces More Scrutiny Over Unpaid Life Insurance Death Benefits
The Massachusetts and Minnesota attorneys general are investigating the way Prudential Financial handled unclaimed life insurance policy death benefits. According to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Prudential was also recently informed that an office … Continue reading
Study Flags Problem with Specific Zimmer NexGen Knee Tibial Component
A new study is reportedly raising more questions about Zimmer Holdings Corp.’s NexGen Knee replacement products. According to a report from Dow Jones Newswires, the single-center study, conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, found that using a Zimmer NexGen … Continue reading
MetLife Hit with Shareholder Lawsuit Over Unclaimed Death Benefit Policies
A MetLife shareholder has filed an investor class action lawsuit over the way the insurance company handles unclaimed death benefits. The lawsuit alleges that MetLife used the U.S. Social Security Administration’s “Death Master File” database to stop making annuity payments … Continue reading
Class Action Lawsuit Claims Maytag Centennial Washing Machines Fall Short of ENERGY STAR Standards
A class-action lawsuit filed in a New Jersey federal courtroom accuses Whirlpool Corp. and two major retailers with misrepresenting select Maytag Centennial washing machines as being ENERGY STAR efficient appliances. ENERGY STAR has become a mark which consumers look for … Continue reading
Illinois Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed over MetLife, Prudential Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits
A whistleblower lawsuit filed in an Illinois court claims insurers MetLife Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. each knowingly committed “massive fraud” by failing to hand over unclaimed death benefits to the state’s abandoned property department. The lawsuit is the latest … Continue reading
