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Monday, October 27, 2014
Halloween DUI
Children aren’t the only ones who like to go out and enjoy
Halloween. Knowing this, police often set up check-points and similar sting
operations to catch people driving under the influence. Unfortunately, in their
eagerness to identify and arrest intoxicated drivers, police can violate a driver’s
rights. This is why, when you are arrested for drunk driving,
you need an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side.
The DUI attorneys at The Cochran Firm understand that police
make mistakes. These mistakes may be clerical, errors with road-side tests and
machine calibrations, or even blatant rights’ violations, all of which must be
investigated to ensure you are treated fairly and protected from harsh and
unreasonable punishments. We take time to build strong cases on our clients’
behalf and fight tooth and nail to help ensure justice is truly served.
Remember, even if you have been arrested for DUI you have
rights guaranteed by state and federal law. Our attorneys are here to see that
those rights are not violated and that you are provided the most effective representation
available.
If you are in need of a DUI attorney, please contact The Cochran
Firm for a free consultation. We maintain offices in several U.S. cities
and accept cases from throughout the country.
posted by Admin at 11:36 AM
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
DePuy Hip Implants: An Ongoing Saga of Litigation
By: Anna
Blood, Intern
The Cochran
Firm
DePuy sold and marketed the ASR XL total hip
replacement, ASR hip resurfacing system and Pinnacle hip implants as a safe and
effective way for patients to maintain an active lifestyle. Today, many patients
suffer from severe and life-threatening injuries as a result of DePuy’s negligence
in testing and designing of its products.
Since the 2010 recall, thousands of lawsuits have
surmounted against DePuy as patients continue to be adversely affected by the
ASR hip implant system. Plaintiffs generally claim that the products causes them
pain, swelling, infection, damage to bone and tissue and most seriously, chromium
and cobalt metal poising, known as “metallosis.”
In 2012, federal judges presiding over multidistrict
litigation involving DePuy ordered parties to select cases for bellwether
trials to begin in 2013. Courts utilize the bellwether approach when there are a
large number of plaintiffs suing for the same claim or theory.
The first bellwether trial for ASR multidistrict
litigation began in September 2013, in a federal court in Ohio. Under this suit, Johnson & Johnson agreed to
pay $2.5 million to settle approximately 7,500 hip law suits by giving an
average of $250,000 to each plaintiff that was required to removed or replace
their hip implants before August 31, 2013. This suit marked the largest
defective medical device settlement in the history of the U.S.
Under the settlement, the payment by Johnson &
Johnson was to be divided into two pools, with $2 billion going to basic awards
and $475 million covering additional payments to compensate patients who
sustained more significant injuries. Additionally, plaintiffs who smoke, are
overweight, or are older will see reduced payments. Separately, Johnson &
Johnson agreed to pay all medical costs and related procedures. Payouts under this settlement began in June of 2014
and will continue in the future.
Also in 2013, Johnson & Johnson settled
the claims of three Nevada women who received ASR implants from the same
surgeon. These cases were settled in state court for $200,000 each.
Additionally, in California the first in a series of law suits
against Johnson & Johnson concluded with a jury finding for the plaintiff
in the amount of $8.3 million.
More recently, on July 2, 2014 the Oregon Department of Justice
reached a $4 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson. Oregon’s
single-state settlement is the first government action to resolve allegations
that DePuy failed to disclose to physicians and patients that its ASR XL “metal
on metal” artificial hip devices had an alarming rate of failure.
Federal bellwether trials for Pinnacle hip implants are
scheduled to begin in September 2014. DePuy has refused to recall the Pinnacle
Hip even though the metal-on-metal components are similar to the ASR and
instead discontinued its use in 2013. Pinnacle hip patients show clear signs of
metal poisoning known as “metallosis,” pain, swelling, muscle and bone damage.
posted by The Cochran Firm at 3:04 PM
Monday, October 20, 2014
Nicotine Poisoning in Children
Poison control has received more than 2,700 reports of
nicotine poisoning so far this year. Over half of those reports have been for
children under the age of six. This sharp increase in nicotine poisoning
in children is directly related to the liquid nicotine used in
e-cigarettes.
As more smokers have switched to vaporized nicotine, liquid nicotine
has found its way into thousands of homes with children. Sadly, because liquid nicotine
can be absorbed through the skin, this places children in these homes at
increased risk for serious and potentially fatal poisoning.
Certainly, the responsibility to keep dangerous products
away from small children falls to parents. However, the warnings on many liquid
nicotine bottles is weak at best, and heavily overshadowed by the claims
touting the benefits of e-cigarettes.
When a dangerous product is not properly labeled or deceptively
marketed, victims of injury may be entitled to seek compensation through legal
action. The best way to learn if you have cause to file suit is through a
one-on-one consultation with a product liability attorney at The Cochran Firm.
If you are in need of a defective product lawyer, please contact The Cochran
Firm today. We have offices in several major U.S. cities, allowing us to
serve victims of negligent corporations throughout the country.
posted by Admin at 6:56 AM
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
More Than 220,000 Nissan Altimas Recalled
Nissan has announced a recall for 220,423 model year 2013
Nissan Altimas. According to the manufacturer, a defect with the hood latch can
allow the hood to come lose and fly open while the car is moving. This increases
the risk of auto
accidents and serious injury to occupants of the defective vehicles and
everyone with whom they share the road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received
only one report of this error causing an accident, but strongly encourages owners
of 2013 Altimas to visit their dealership for free hood latch repairs.
Defective vehicles injure and kill hundreds of people every
year. In many instances, these defects are overlooked or seen as
inconsequential before serious injury occurs. When you or a loved one is harmed
in an accident involving a defective vehicle, you have every right to hold the
auto manufacturer accountable and seek compensation for all of your damages.
The car accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm are here to
help your family hold negligent companies accountable and get the full
compensation you deserve.
To schedule your free consultation with one of our car accident
attorneys, please contact
The Cochran Firm today. We maintain offices throughout the United States to
better serve people living in all areas of the country.
posted by Admin at 10:28 AM
Monday, October 6, 2014
Eli Lilly Facing Suit Over Misleading Advertising
Eli Lilly is being sued over allegedly misleading advertising
regarding Axiron, the company’s testosterone replacement drug. According to the
plaintiff in this case, Eli Lilly mounted an aggressive campaign, marketing
Axiron as a treatment for “Low-T,” despite the product not being approved by
the FDA for such use. Eli Lilly is one of a handful of pharmaceutical companies
facing lawsuits over false advertising and personal injury resulting from use
of these types of potentially dangerous drugs.
Axiron, like all testosterone replacement therapies, was
approved to treat very specific conditions, but heavily marketed as a cure-all for
issues as diverse as depression, loss of muscle mass, and sexual dysfunction. Unfortunately,
while claims of the amazing benefits of testosterone medications remain
unproven, the dangers posed by these drugs are now well known.
Testosterone therapy is linked to an increased risk for
heart attack, particularly in men over the age of 65. When prescribed as a
lifestyle drug to treat ED and low libido, men are placed at an increased risk
for little to no known benefit.
If you or someone you love has suffered a heart attack after
taking a testosterone replacement medication, please contact The Cochran
Firm to schedule a free consultation. We maintain offices throughout the
United States and accept clients from all areas of the country.
posted by Admin at 6:44 AM