Four Mothers File One Zofran Birth Defect Lawsuit Together

October 20, 2015 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

More than 60 families have now joined a sweeping litigation against international pharmaceutical conglomerate GlaxoSmithKline. Leveling allegations of unlawful marketing and concealment of risk, parents across the nation say the company’s powerful anti-nausea drug Zofran causes birth defects.

The number of lawsuits has increased dramatically in previous months. In fact, so many claims have been filed that a panel of federal judges decided to send Zofran lawsuits to a central court, in Boston, for more efficient handling. Many Plaintiffs expect the consolidation will lead to speedier decisions and a quicker resolution.

The potential benefits of working together have not gone unnoticed in other quarters either. In an unprecedented filing on September 10, 2015, four women brought a single legal claim for damages against GlaxoSmithKline. Each parent says prenatal exposure to Zofran caused her child to develop congenital heart defects in the womb.

While the mothers hail from Missouri, Delaware, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, their claim was filed in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri. It was logged under case number 4:15-cv-01397-CDP. A copy of the court documents have been made public on Zofran.Monheit.com.

Michael Monheit, Esq., a Pennsylvania-based personal injury lawyer and lead contributor to Zofran.Monheit.com, has joined forces himself. Together with a group of the country’s leading trial attorneys, Monheit has offered free legal consultations to hundreds of women who suspect Zofran was the cause of a baby’s birth defects. Many of the lawyers with whom Monheit works have become instrumental in guiding the course of the Zofran litigation.

Monheit says heart defects have stood at the center of most Zofran lawsuits since the litigation’s start in February 2015. “Specifically, a class of abnormalities known as cardiac septal defects,” he noted. But the common term ‘hole in the heart’ may be more familiar, and it’s certainly accurate. “These children are being born with holes, literally, in the walls of their hearts. Even when surgery isn’t immediately indicated, the long-term implications can be devastating.”

The experienced attorney pointed to three defects in particular: atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect and atrioventricular septal defect. A series of major studies linked Zofran exposure to the heart defects beginning in 2013. He says the vast majority of currently-filed claims name congenital defects of cardiac tissue. But other problems aren’t far behind; Zofran has also been associated with cleft palate, an oral defect that affects around 2,650 U.S. babies every year.

Zofran lawsuits may be headed to Massachusetts, but interest in filing new claims remains high. Monheit says the recent consolidation announcement in no way restricts the rights of other families. Of the case recently filed in Missouri, he notes: “that four women from four separate states could come together like this is extraordinary. It goes to illustrate the far-reaching implications of Glaxo’s alleged wrongdoing.” Most likely, the women will be meeting again in Boston when the Zofran litigation moves to its new court.

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For more information about ZofranLegal.com, contact the company here:

ZofranLegal.com
Michael Monheit
1-877-620-8411
michael@monheit.com
1368 Barrowdale Road, Rydal, PA 19046