Actos

Now studies as well as real cases are showing that there are also some serious Actos side effects.  At first these were heart problems such as heart attack, heart disease, and heart failure.  Now, the FDA has added another Actos side effect to the list: bladder cancer.

If you or a loved one took Actos and were injured by the drug, you can find out about an Actos lawsuit if you suffered some or any of these injuries:

1. Congestive heart failure
2. bladder cancer
3. heart attack
4. heart disease
5. rhabdomyolysis (damage to the kidnies)
6. liver damage
7. bone fracture

If you believe that Actos caused your injuries, you must be aware of time limits on any Actos lawsuits.  You have legal rights but you can lose your rights to compensation.  Find out about an Actos lawsuit if you think you have a case involving Actos.

With words like “naturally flavored,”  or  “a good source of Vitamin C” and also “low fat”.  Well yes they are low fat but so is a spoonful of pure sugar!  And you can pump artificial vitamins into any food.  The fruit roll-ups class action alleges that General Mills is implying that the fruit roll-ups are healthier snacks and therefore should cost more.   A consumer protection agency found that the General Mills product actually contained high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, according to details of the fruit roll-ups class action.

Sirius XM

The satellite radio giant bought its only competitor, XM Satellite Radio, back in 2008.  The Sirius XM class action lawsuit alleges antitrust violations because after the acquisition, the company raised its prices.  Not only did it raise prices after elimination competition, it also raised music royalty fees.

The Sirius XM class action lawsuit also stated that the company broke promises it made.  The promises were made in order to gain approval for the merger with XM Satellite Radio.  Approval for mergers and acquisitions must be obtained from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department.

Sirius XM claims that they raised prices after the merger because their costs were higher.  Class action status was granted to the antitrust portion of the lawsuit.  That was in March of this year.  A settlement was reached before trial and preliminary approval for that settlement was given in May 2011.

Class action lawsuits that go into settlement before trial must also get approval for the settlement so that both sides are satisfied.

De Puy Hip Implant Lawsuit

The next big famous class action lawsuit could well be the hip joint class action.  The recalled hip replacement is the next big thing after the BP oil spill litigation and before that, the Toyota acceleration class action.  De Puy and Johnson & Johnson are targets of the class action lawsuit involving metal-on-metal hip replacements that fail.

The hip joints fail at a higher rate than is acceptable in medical circles, causing patients severe pain and increased medical bills, as failed hip joints often have to be replaced by new surgery.  Already 1,000 lawsuits have been filed in the United States alone.  The hip joint class action revolves around the idea that Johnson & Johnson and their medical device unit, DePuy Orthopaedics, knew about potential problems with metal-on-metal hip joints.  They allegedly knew about the problems before they stopped making the ASR model in 2009 and then recalled existing units in 201o.

Johnson & Johnson stands to lose $1 billion in liability and has therefore already started beefing up its liability reserves.  The drug and medical device company is also setting aside millions of dollars to cover medical expenses of people with De Puy hip replacements and who suffered problems with the device.

Hydroxycut class action

Hydroxycut has nine lives.  After the FDA decided to remove the weight loss drug from the market in 2009, a Hydroxycut class action lawsuit is still pending, and the product is still on the shelves in big name retailers like Walmart.

Hydroxycut is made by Iovate Health Sciences, which markets the drug as “clinically proven” to help people lose weight, and lose it fast.  It also advertises the drug as having no unwanted side effects.  The label claims Hydroxycut’s wonder powers are backed by science.  There is absolutely no evidence for any of this.  There is no clinical proof whatsoever, claims the Hydroxycut class action lawsuit.  The product has no science backing its safety, much less the efficacy.  In fact, one study showed that participants taking the diet drug lost weight at a slower rate than people taking the placebo!

Original Hydroxycut formulations included now-banned ephedra.  Ephedra triggered heart attacks and was linked to at least one death.  The next formula included something called garcinia cambogia.  That’s an Asian fruit (also found in Africa) used to beef up the meals of poor people, kind of like a filler.  Again, no clinical proof it helps people lose weight.

The newest ingredients in Hydroxycut is caffeine and herbs!  Does nothing more than a cup of tea.   They put a disclaimer on their website stating their weight-loss claims have not been evaluated by the FDA.  The FDA has no authority over diet supplements unless somebody dies.  Yes, somebody has to die before the FDA takes note and a Hydroxycut class action can go forward.

The AT&T phantom charges lawsuit is making big headlines this week.  MSNBC featured the story on its cover page today, covering the basic aspects of what looks to become a bigger and bigger headache for AT&T.  Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices hooked to AT&T service are incurring phantom charges, meaning users don’t know where the data use charges are coming from.

There are 20 million iPhone/iPad customers, all of whom could possibly be part of the AT&T phantom charges lawsuit.  The communications company is currently under investigation, and a class action lawsuit has been filed.

Data charges rack up when iPhone or iPad users check a website, download an app, or play a game.  These things all count against your monthly data imit with AT&T.   The questions started to arise when people who don’t use their phone much went over the data limit.   There was also data usage activity in the middle of the night night, when nobody was using the iPhone, made by Apple.

An expert not associated with the AT&T phantom charges lawsuit says lots is downloaded when iPhone  users visit a website…and not all sites are the same.  A Youtube video uses more of your data usage quota than say google.   The computer engineers who studied the AT&T phantom charges lawsuit found that AT&T systematically overstates data usage anywhere from 7-14 %,  sometimes as much as 300%.

They also found that every single unit tested found an overcharge, and never an undercharge.  They even disabled everyhting that would trigger data charges, and a bill came for 35 different data charges.  AT&T says the allegations are without merit, and people have a misunderstanding about how apps work.  For example, the phone will download updates for games and apps used by the iPhone or iPad owner.

Procter and Gamble, also known as P&G, claims that Pampers Cruisers with Drymax technology are safe for babies.  The Pampers Dry Max lawsuit, however, claims that Procter and Gamble should have known that their product caused diaper rash, chemical burns and more.

Dry Max technology was introduced to Pampers diapers this past March, with claims that since the diapers are thinner, they take up less space in landfills and therefore are better for the environment.

Procter and Gamble says it has sympathy for any parents with babies who suffer diaper rash, but on the same token says one in four babies suffer this condition, which can sometimes be serious.

The Pampers Dry Max lawsuit has prompted an investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and in a few months the results will be made public.  It will also be a number of months before a judge will pass down a ruling on whether or not the Pampers Dry Max lawsuit will become a class action lawsuit.

Corporate data breaches are becoming more and more common these days, and well-publicized cases like the most recent one that sparked multiple Sony Playstation lawsuits are making the public more and more aware.  Other data breaches occurred at Starbucks, RockYou, Bank of America, The State of New York, and the huge class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs.  That one cost them $26.3 billion in damages.

A Sony Playstation class action lawsuit has already been filed- several, in fact.  The job of plaintiffs’ attorneys will be to prove damages.  The personal and financial information of more than a million people was stolen, so stakes are very high.  This is one of the highest profile corporate data breach class action lawsuits in a while, and it may well be the benchmark case…after this, corporations make take cyber stalking more seriously and consider risk management a top priority.

Meanwhile, losses will continue to mount as Sony Playstation class action lawsuits gain momentum as well as more attention from the Press.

Depakote is an antisepileptic medication available by prescription only.  It was first approved by the FDA in 1978 and is now manufactured by Abbott Laboratories.  It’s used to treat some forms of epilepsy.  The Depakote class action claims that Abbott Laboratories allegedly failed to fully research the Depakote side effects, especially in pregnant women.  The lawsuit also claims the drug company also failed to warn doctors and women about the Depakote side effects they did  know about.

The Depakote class action was filed by Myles Brumfield, a man who lives in Fairview Heights, Wisconsin.  He filed the suit on behalf of himself and dozens others who claim their children were harmed by Depakote during their mother’s pregnancy.  The suit claims that the main ingredient is is known to cause severe birth defects when taken during the first three months of pregnancy.  That ingredient is valproic acid.

A medical journal by the name of Neurology published a study almost three years ago, suggesting this link in a survey.  The survey found an eleven times higher rate of cleft palate and cleft lip birth defects in women who took the drug during pregnancy. The study also found that babies whose mothers took Topamax during pregnancy were 14 times more likely to have genital defects.

Topamax is manufactured by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, which is a division of Johnson & Johnson.  It was first approved as an anticonvulsant, used for treatment of epilipsy, but was approved in 2004 for treatment of migraine symptoms as well.  The generic form became available in 2006, and is called topiramate.  There are alternative epilepsy drugs available, which do not carry the high risk of birth defects associated with Topamax.

Based on current data, a Topamax lawsuit is expected and in some states is already underway.  Potential Topamax class action lawsuits are now being reviewed by lawyers.