Court Says Vaccine Not to Blame for Autism

February 13, 2009

In a blow to the movement arguing that vaccines lead to autism, a special court ruled on Thursday against three families seeking compensation from the federal vaccine-injury fund.

 

Both sides in the debate have been awaiting decisions in these test cases since hearings began in 2007; more than 5,000 similar claims have been filed.

 

In the three cases, each decided by a judge called a special master, the court found that the families had not shown that their children’s autism was brought on by substances in the vaccines — either the measles virus in the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or its combination with thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was used in most childhood vaccines until 2001.

 

Read Article: New York Times

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Fond du Lac medical clinic sued for discrimination

An advocacy group for people infected with HIV on Thursday accused a Fond du Lac medical clinic of discrimination for refusing to perform surgery on a woman with the virus that causes AIDS.

“Discrimination in health care remains a major problem for people living with HIV,” said Peter Kimball, director of legal services at AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.

The group said it filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, naming Dr. Steven M. Cahee, Agnesian HealthCare Inc. and Fond du Lac Regional Clinic as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants violated state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, in denying gallbladder surgery to Melody Rose after learning she tested positive for HIV and had AIDS last March.

 

Read Article: Chicago Tribune

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Altria Loses First Phase of Trial in Smoker’s Suit

Altria Group Inc., the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, lost the opening phase of a trial in a sick smoker lawsuit that is the first of 8,000 cases pending in Florida courts to be heard by jurors.

 

A jury of three men and three women in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today ruled that Stuart Hess’s nicotine addiction was the cause of his death from lung cancer in 1997. Altria’s Philip Morris USA unit faces a second and possible third phase of the trial in which jurors will determine whether to assess damages against the company.

 

“We’re very pleased with the jury’s verdict,” said Adam Trop, the lawyer for Hess’s widow and family, after the verdict. “The jury is going to hear a lot more about what tobacco has done over the last several decades.”

 

Read Article: Bloomberg

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Beatrice center resident’s death prompts claim

Medical negligence at the troubled Beatrice State Developmental Center led to the death last month of an 18-year-old with mental disabilities, the woman’s family says.

David Manes says that his daughter died after at least 10 missteps by staff, and Manes blames the center’s management, according to a copy of the claim obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Lincoln attorney Jefferson Downing planned to file the claim against the state today.

Manes is seeking $1.75 million for his daughter’s suffering and the pain her death caused.

 

Read Article: Columbus Telegram

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Relatives of Ore. firefighters killed in crash sue

Relatives of two contract firefighters killed in a helicopter crash in Northern California last summer have filed lawsuits against the aircraft’s owner, manufacturers and a company that performed maintenance.

 

The suits were filed Thursday in Multnomah County by the families of 23-year-old Matthew Hammer of Grants Pass and 29-year-old Bryan Rich of Medford, The Oregonian newspaper reported. The wrongful death, negligence and product liability lawsuits seek $10 million for the estates of each man. Seven others died when the helicopter crashed on takeoff in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

 

The lawsuits blame the crash on the “negligence of the defendants in piloting, operating, designing, manufacturing, selling, overhauling and/or repairing the helicopter and/or it’s component parts…”

 

Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

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