Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

May 14, 2010

U.S.Judge Stays Spill Cases at Transocean’s Request

A Houston judge agreed Thursday to stay pending cases against Transocean arising from the April 20 disaster that destroyed its Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killed 11 workers and created a growing oil spill.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison issued an order suspending the cases against Transocean at the company’s request after it sought a $26.7 million limit to its liability in the lawsuits.

Lawyers involved in the myriad lawsuits filed against Transocean, rig leaser BP and others said they had expected Transocean would attempt such a move under the Limitation of Liability Act, a maritime law that allows vessel owners to limit liability to the value of a vessel and its freight. Mary Flood, Houston Chronicle 05/14/2010

May 14, 2010

Harris County Settles Lawsuit Over Woman’s Jail Death

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The Harris County Commissioner’s Court approved a $167,500 settlement in a lawsuit over a woman who died while in a county jail in 2008.

The lawsuit alleged that Margarita Saavedra had begged for medical treatment from the jail staff for a staph infection in the days before she died.

She was being held in the county jail awaiting trial on drug charges when she died. Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle 05/11/2010
Read Article: Houston Chronicle

May 14, 2010

Accutane Lawsuit Settled on eve of Trial

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A man who claimed that he developed severe bowel problems from Accutane, an acne medication, has reached a pre-trial settlement with Roche Laboratories, the drug’s manufacturer.

Roche has asked Madison County Circuit Judge to approve the Accutane settlement, according to a report in The Madison Record.

The plaintiff, Peipert alleges that Dr. Daniel Goran prescribed him Accutane to treat his acne, and that the drug caused him to develop the debilitating condition, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The case was set to go to trial on April 19, but start of the trial was delayed due the potential settlement with Accutane manufacturers.

May 14, 2010

Yaz Yasmin Birth Control Claims

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Popular birth control pills taken by millions of women might be causing serious side effects, that in some cases have led to death. That’s the claim of a growing number of lawsuits.

Yaz and its sister drug Yasmin are big sellers marketed to women under 35. Hormones in all birth control pills can cause blood to thicken, but there are more than 1,000 lawsuits saying Yaz and Yasmin cause more blood clots than others.

Read the full story here

May 13, 2010

According to Scientists Oil Spill in Gulf Underestimated,

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Scientists and environmental groups are raising questions about 5,000 gallons per day estimate. They also criticize BP for refusing to use scientific techniques that would give a more precise figure.

BP has repeatedly claimed that measuring the plume of oil gushing from the broken well would be impossible.

The issue of how fast the well is leaking has been unclear from the beginning. For several days after the April 21 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, the government and BP claimed that the well on the ocean floor was leaking about 1,000 barrels a day.

May 12, 2010

OK Jury Finds Botox Maker Negligent, Awards $15 M

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An Oklahoma City jury has ordered Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox Cosmetic, to pay $15 million to a local doctor who claimed she suffered botulism poisoning from the product.

Dr. Sharla Helton claimed in her lawsuit that the illness she suffered as a result of Botox injections in 2006 caused her to quit her job. The jury said they ruled against Allergan Inc. because their Botox product did not have adequate information about side affects on its warning label. Nolan Clay, NewsOK.com 05/12/2010
Read Article: NewsOK.com

May 11, 2010

Teva & Baxter Ordered to Pay $500 M in Hep C Case

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Baxter Healthcare Services were ordered to pay a combined $500 million in punitive damages to a Nevada man who contracted Hepatitis C during an outbreak two years ago.

The Clark County District Court jury in Nevada ordered Teva to pay $356 million and Baxter to pay $144 million in the largest jury award in Nevada history.

Read full Reuters story here.

May 11, 2010

Atmos Responsible for Multiple Violations in Blast at Mesquite Texas Home

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Atmos Energy failed to meet minimum safety regulations in connection with a home explosion in Mesquite, according to a state investigation.

The Texas Railroad Commission investigation found that Atmos should phase out the type of steel natural gas lines used in the area. The company has decided to replace each of the 680 lines in the area of Town East Estates subdivision.

Read the full story at the Dallas Morning News.

May 10, 2010

BP’s Poor Record: History of Spills and Safety Lapses

by Dr. Shezad Malik

After BP’s Texas City, Tex., refinery blew up in 2005, killing 15 workers, the company promised to fix the safety issues that caused the blast.

In 2006 a oil pipeline ruptured and spilled 200,000 gallons of crude oil over Alaska’s North Slope, the oil giant once again vowed to fix the problems.

In 2007, BP settled a series of criminal charges, including Texas City, and agreed to pay $370 million in fines.

Read the full story at the New York Times.

May 9, 2010

Attempt to Contain Gulf Oil Spill Plagued With Problems

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The effort to contain the oil spill that has poured millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico encountered a setback, according to officials. This means that oil will continue gushing into the ocean for possibly months.

Workers earlier maneuvered a containment dome over the remaining leaks on the seabed to funnel the oil to the surface, where it would be collected by a drill ship.

Read the full story here at the New York Times.