The Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles has preliminarily approved the proposed settlement of two class actions involving curb ramps and curb cuts that provide access to sidewalks and other pedestrian pathways located in the City of Los Angeles. The lawsuits that will be resolved by the proposed… Read more
Arias Sanguinetti Stahle & Torrijos, LLP filed a class action against Southern California Gas Company arising from the massive natural gas leak that was discovered on October 23, 2015 at the Aliso Canyon storage facility owned by SoCalGas. The gas leak has injured residents of the Porter Ranch community in multiple ways. Local residents have reported… Read more
A class action is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court against Integral Senior Living for its failure to provide duty free meal breaks to its medical technicians. The claims allege that the employees had a right to the breaks without being required to perform certain duties during the breaks.
Class action against Ashley Furniture arising from company’s sale of DuraBlend upholstery “blended leather,” which fails to stand up to normal wear and tear, and instead easily peels and flakes off, revealing a rough, off-white layer underneath.
The Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant was a metal on metal device implanted in patients from 2006 through 2008, before it was recalled. The implant used new metal on metal technology, which was claimed to last longer than non-metal on metal implants. The hip implant was recalled after complaints of metal toxicity and failure of the implant. The metal toxicity was a result of the metal parts grinding against each other causing the metal to be released into the body. Side effects of metal toxicity include severe pain, infection and tissue disease and often required surgical removal of the implant.
DePuy began marketing its Pinnacle hip implant system in the early 2000s as an alternative to other hip implants. The implant is a metal on metal device claimed to be longer lasting and ideal for younger and more active patients. The metal on metal system has been found to have far more complications and adverse side effects than non-metal on metal devices. The metal on metal system often fails sooner than non-metal on metal systems. It also has caused serious side effects due to the metal components. Specifically, the grinding of metal parts causes the metal to enter into the body and blood system causing metal toxicity, which can cause severe pain, weakness, fatigue, numbness, shortness of breath and other debilitating conditions. Often a replacement of the Pinnacle system is required to help resolve these side effects.
Mirena and Depo Provera have all been linked to the conditions pseudo tumor cerebri and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). All three of the forms of birth control use hormones that increase a woman’s risk of these serious conditions.
Mirena is an intrauterine device used as a form of birth control and is typically implanted for a five year period. Bayer, the manufacturer of Mirena, marketed it as birth control that freed women from worrying about pregnancy for years allowing for more intimacy with their partners. What Bayer failed to mention was the very serious side effects of Mirena. Mirena has been known to migrate once placed into a woman’s body. As a result of the migration it can puncture internal organs and become embedded in the uterus. This can cause serious injuries including infertility, permanent organ damage and need for emergency surgery to remove the device.
The Bair Hugger blanket manufactured by 3M is a warming blanket used to warm anesthetized patients during surgery. It is often used during joint replacement surgeries including hip and knee replacements. The blanket is used to help regulate the body’s temperature and avoid hypothermia. Unfortunately the Bair Hugger warming device has been known to cause infections in patients due to bacteria in the air system. The bacteria circulates through the warming blanket and attacks open wounds on the body causing serious infections. These infections can be debilitating, and if not controlled, can cause death.
An inferior vena cava or IVC filter is used when a patient is at risk for blood clots. The IVC filter is implanted into the patient to prevent life threatening clots from migrating to major organs including the lungs and heart. While the IVC filter device can be lifesaving, it can also cause serious harm and death, if it is not used appropriately.