Product Liability Archives - Halifax Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

April 11th, 2013

Anti-inflammatory Drug Dangers: Doctors recommend recall of popular drug

Researchers have requested that the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac be taken off shelves due to increased heart risks.

The drug, is sold under many brand names including Cataflam, Voltaren and Voltarol, and is only available by prescription in Canada and the United States.

Diclofenac is sold over-the-counter in many other countries including the U.K., Australia and Japan.

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February 26th, 2013

Children’s Meds Causing Dangerous Allergic Reactions

by John McKiggan

Recently I was doing research for a client whose child had suffered an adverse reaction after taking a common children’s medication. That’s why this article in Reuters caught my attention.

It tells the story of a Massachusetts family that nearly lost their daughter due to an allergic reaction to a common household medicine. Seven year-old Samantha Reckis lost approximately 90 percent of her skin, suffered mild brain damage and is legally blind after taking children’s Motrin.

Following a decade-long trial, a Massachusetts jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $63 million to Samantha and her family.

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October 30th, 2012

Pfizer Zoloft Birth Injury Claims – When is a risk too small to explain?

by John McKiggan

Last month 10 couples filed birth injury lawsuits against Pfizer, who manufactures the antidepressant Zoloft. They claim severe birth injuries suffered by their children are a consequence of the mom’s taking Zoloft during their pregnancy.

Failed to Warn of Risks

The argument is Pfizer failed to warn of the risks to unborn children, and further that Pfizer did not adequately test the product.

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August 30th, 2012

Is Ford Escape Recall a Cover-Up?

by John McKiggan

Spontaneous Acceleration

Remember the allegations of spontaneous acceleration that Toyota vehicles had to deal with a few years ago? They ended up recalling 3.8 million vehicles. It was a public relations disaster for the company.

Is Ford facing a similar problem? Worse, has the company been trying to hide a dangerous problem it has known about for seven years?

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September 29th, 2011

Product Recalls are not Proof of Negligence: Johansson v General Motors of Canada Limited

by John McKiggan

Defective Products and Negligence

If a defective product is recalled does that prove that the product was negligently manufactured? That was one of the issues that Justice Murphy of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court had to decide in the recent case of Johansson et al v. General Motors of Canada Limited.

Driver Injured in Car Accident

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August 10th, 2011

Supreme Court of Canada Strikes Out Big Tobacco’s Claims Against Canada – R v Imperial Tobacco Limited

by John McKiggan

Tobacco Companies Strike Out Again

Last week the Supreme Court of Canada weighed in (again) on a lawsuit filed by the province of British Columbia, which seeks to recover health care costs for tobacco-related illnesses.

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June 27th, 2011

Hot Coffee: The Truth About the MacDonald’s Coffee Case

by John McKiggan

When people I meet for the first time find out I am a personal injury lawyer almost invariably the conversation ends up with them mentioning the lady who spilled hot coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s for $3 million.

Unfortunately there is a stunning lack of public understanding about the real facts of the McDonald’s coffee case. That misunderstanding is fueled by corporate interests who want the public to belive that there is a “problem” with people being able to recover compensation for their injuires.

The insurance industry wants to increase it’s profits by limiting access to justice and the rights of innocent victims to receive full and fair compensation for their injuries.

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May 5th, 2011

Infant Safety: Babies Being Given Dangerous Herbal Remedies

by John McKiggan

The latest edition of Pediatrics Journal contained a study published by the University Hospital Medical Centre in Cleveland Ohio which shows that 9% of babies are being given a wide variety of herbal supplements. The study states that this is a concern because some of the herbs may pose health risks to babies.

Unregulated

The problem arises because herbal supplements are not regulated the same way as drugs and pharmaceuticals. The herbal remedies may cause adverse drug reactions and may be contaminated.

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December 19th, 2010

Smoke Detectors May Not Provide Adequate Protection

by John McKiggan

Everyone knows you should have smoke detectors in your home right?

You may even be one of the dedicated few who check them to be sure they are working and replace the batteries on a regular basis.

But did you know that your smoke alarm may not provide you with adequate warning during a fire?

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October 19th, 2010

Car Seat Recall a Reminder to Parents About Possible Dangers to Children

by John McKiggan

This week Evenflo, one of the largest manufactures of infant car and booster seats, announced it is recalling more than 18,000 child car seats in Canada and the U.S. after Consumer Reports crash-tested the seat and found that it can crack and fail in a simulated 48 km/h frontal collision.

The recall affects the Evenflo Maestro Combination Booster Seat. Canadians who own the seats should call 1-800-265-0749 for more information.

The news made me think of some of the claims I have had in the past where children were injured in car accidents even though they were secured in car seats. The fact is that many parents are not aware of some of the issues that need to be considered when buying and using infant car seats.

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Category: Product Liability