Southern Med Law Represents Women In Power Morcellator Lawsuits Alleging Power Morcellators Spread Undetected Leiomyosarcoma During Laparoscopic Hysterectomies And Myomectomies.
Southern Med Law is pleased to announce that its founding attorney, Dr. François Blaudeau, has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2652), pending in the U.S. District Court, District of Kansas. Morcellator cancer lawsuits allege Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, Ethicon Inc. failed to disclose that its laparoscopic power morcellators have the potential to spread undetected uterine cancer, including leiomyosarcoma, in women undergoing a hysterectomy or myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids).
Dr. Blaudeau was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee by U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil and U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. O’Hara in an order dated December 11, 2015. Judge Vratil and Magistrate O’Hara are managing MDL 2652. The Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee will represent the common interests of all plaintiffs in the MDL. The Committee is currently discussing case management (CMO) issues, including scheduling proceedings for the MDL. Any outstanding CMO issues will be discussed with the court at a conference on December 21 at the Kansas City Courthouse. (In Re: Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2652)
In addition to his legal practice, Dr. Blaudeau is a practicing obstetrician/ gynecologist who has cared for patients who have been harmed by the negligence of others. Dr. Blaudeau established Southern Med Law to legally represent and protect the right of all individuals injured by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices, negligent acts and dangerous products. As a result of his medical and legal backgrounds, Dr. Blaudeau is uniquely qualified to assist plaintiffs as they navigate the legal system in the most complex product liability and personal injury lawsuits.
Dr. Blaudeau and Southern Med Law have been fighting for the rights of alleged morcellator cancer victims prior to his appointment to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee. Dr. Blaudeau served as lead counsel in what was the first power morcellator cancer lawsuit filed in a U.S. federal court. The morcellator cancer lawsuit claim was filed on behalf of a Pennsylvania widower whose 53-year-old wife died of disseminated leiomyosarcoma in February 2013. She developed the uterine cancer after undergoing a robot-assisted hysterectomy in March 2012. Morcellator manufacturers, LiNA Medical APS, Kebomed AB & LiNA Medical US were named as defendants. A confidential settlement was reached in July. (Case No. 5:14-cv-1557, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania) Southern Med Law is currently representing women in other claims involving Ethicon.
Laparoscopic power morcellators are used in surgeries involving a hysterectomy and a myomectomy. The morcellator has spinning blades that grind fibroids into fragments so for removal through small incisions in the abdomen. Undetected cancer cells can hide within the fibroids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that approximately 1 in 350 women undergoing a hysterectomy or myomectomy have an unsuspected type of uterine sarcoma, that includes leiomyosarcoma. According to the FDA, the prevalence of the rare and aggressive leiomyosarcoma is 1 in 498.
In October, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized all federally filed morcellator cancer lawsuits against Ethicon, but did not consolidate lawsuits against Gyrus ACMI, Richard Wolf GmbH and Karl Storz GmbH, companies that also manufacture power morcellators. There are currently 27 morcellator cancer lawsuits pending against Ethicon alleging that the company failed to warn doctors and patients that its power morcellators can potentially spread undetected uterine cancer, including the aggressive leiomyosarcoma, during a hysterectomy or myomectomy. (In Re: Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2652)
About Southern Med Law and Filing A Power Morcellator Lawsuit: Southern Med Law is a full service law firm representing victims of negligence, personal injuries, medical malpractice, dangerous drugs, faulty medical devices and defective products. Led by Dr. François Blaudeau, an attorney and a practicing obstetrician/ gynecologist, and the legal staff at Southern Med Law possesses a deep understanding of the complex medical and legal questions at issue in all manner of power morcellators. They are not afraid to take on the manufacturers to make them accountable and enable all of their clients to have the aggressive legal representation they deserve.
Contact:
Southern Med Law
François M. Blaudeau, MD JD FACHE FCLM Esquire
2224 1st Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Phone: 205-547-5525
Fax: 205-547-5526
francois@sml-legal.i-mlaw.com
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