Home \ Blog

Should Women Be Scared of Vaginal Mesh

Details: Created on Tuesday, 21 May 2013 14:24

Yesterday, Medscape published an interesting article about vaginal mesh lawyer ads 'frightening' patients. We encourage you to read it here. It suggests that those women who consider getting vaginal mesh to repair pelvic organ prolapse, for example, are scared after getting their information from a legal advertisement. While we obviously don't think anyone should be getting all of their information off of a legal advertisement, it should be a signal that more research is warranted and more questions should be asked.

So, should woman be scared of vaginal mesh implants? That is for each woman and her physician to decide on a case by case basis. They should be educated about the risks of mesh and weigh those against the benefits. There are certainly some cases where the implantation of synthetic mesh may be the most appropriate course of action. But this is not a riskless product/procedure and these risks (as well as alternative methods of treatment) should be discussed with your physician.

At Cates Mahoney, LLC it is not in our interest to encourage or dissuade women from getting transvaginally implanted mesh. That's completely up to you and your doctor. We are, however, interested in protecting women who have had complications with their existing vaginal mesh implants. In many cases we believe that the manufacturers are liable for these injuries due to inadequate product testing, as well as inadequately training the surgeons who implanted the mesh devices. Even the FDA has expressed their concerns, on multiple occasions, on the efficacy of transvaginally placed mesh.

Proper testing would have revealed that some types of synthetic mesh are prone to shrinking and erosion which can lead to the tearing of nearby tissues and organs where the mesh was implanted. This can lead to severe pain, infection, bleeding, and pain for both partners during intercourse.

If vaginal mesh has caused you pain, or negatively impacted your life in any way, it's best to learn about all the options that are available to you, as some of these options will expire with time. On occasion, multiple surgeries will be required if the mesh implant begins to tear or erode and these procedures can become quite painful – financially, physically, and emotionally.

The vaginal mesh lawyers at Cates Mahoney, LLC have vast experience with product liability cases. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation discussion, about what options may be best for you.

Who Manufactured My Vaginal Mesh Kit?

Details: Created on Wednesday, 08 May 2013 14:24

At one time, surgically implanted mesh was the most technologically advanced option for women with pelvic organ prolapse. Fast forward several years and you now have a product/procedure that the FDA strongly advises against and is the subject a lot of pain, blame, lawsuits, and multiple corrective surgeries. You basically have a situation where a product was likely not tested as thoroughly as it should have been, compounded with the fact that manufactures attempted to train surgeons on how to perform the procedures for implantation.This led to inexperienced surgeons performing procedures that they were, at least in many cases, not proficient in.

One of the most common complications that can arise from the mesh implants is erosion. Different manufactures of mesh kits used similar but different methods and materials. For example, some companies designed a softer, lighter mesh that is less likely to erode, pierce, or tear through surrounding tissues. Other mesh kits, such as Prolift, used a much heavier mesh that is more likely to erode or tear through surrounding tissues.

Using softer and lighter mesh has reduced complications by up to 50%, according to Dr. Moore and Dr. Miklos (urologists/surgeons familiar with the procedures). Further, some manufactures of mesh kits advised surgeons to implant mesh much deeper than others, which has also led to a reduction in the rate of erosion and other complications.

Below is a list of mesh kits and the companies who manufactured them*:

Prolift (Anterior/Posterior), Prosima, Gynemesh – Gynecare
Avaulta Solo (Ant/Post), Avault Plus (Biosynthetic), Pelvitex Mesh – Bard Urology
Pinnacle (Anterior/Vault), Uphold (Vault), Polyform Mesh –Boston Scientific
Restorelle (Ant/Post), Restorelle (EzA) – Coloplast/Mpathy
Apogee (Post), Perigee (Anterior), Elevate Anterior, Elevate Posterior – American Medical Systems (AMS)
Posterior IVS – US Surgical
Ascend Anterior, Ascend Posterior – Caldera Medical

*source - www.meshsurgeons.com

If you have experienced complications, painful intercourse, tearing, bleeding, or other, the Vaginal Mesh attorneys of Cates Mahoney, LLC are here to answer them, for free. We're currently providing free consultations and will explain what you can expect should you decide to stand up to those that have caused you pain. We are one of the oldest firms when it comes to fighting for the victims of vaginal mesh and our successful track record in this type of product liability litigation makes us confident that we can help you.

Tips to Avoid Force Placed Insurance

Details: Created on Monday, 29 April 2013 14:24

The following video has some great tips to avoid force placed insurance.

If you already are a victim of force placed insurance, the sooner you act the better. It could mean thousands of dollars back in your pocket. Contact Cates Mahoney, LLC to learn more.

Some of the larger lending financial institutions that are allegedly guilty of this practice include, but are not limited to, SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup.

Heart Disease Linked to Carnitine - A Common Ingredient in Energy Drinks

Details: Created on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 14:24

A new study has linked heart disease to the supplement Carnitine. Carnitine is commonly found in red meat, but is also a very common ingredient found in many energy drinks. It is added to energy drinks because it may aid in the conversion of fat to energy (although the Univ. of Maryland Medical Center suggests there is no evidence that it works).

The combination of Carnitine and intestinal bacteria, according to this new study, produces a compound that has been found to clog arteries.

Dr. Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic has been studying Carnitine and its potentially related health problems, stating, “Carnitine is, I think, a cause for concern because our data really suggests that this is a risk factor for accelerated heart disease.”

Some energy drinks, according to Dr. Hazen’s studies, have the same amounts of Carnitine as a porterhouse steak.

Energy drinks have come under fire lately for injuries and deaths that they may have contributed to. If you have experienced heart palpitations, over-stimulation of the heart and nervous system, increased blood pressure, tremors, or insomnia, contact an experienced energy drink lawyer at Cates Mahoney, LLC for a free consultation to learn about what options may be available.

Heart disease is the number one killer in America. To watch the whole story from ABC News: Health Risk Connection Found Between Steak and Energy Drinks

Defective Corning Shingles

Details: Created on Monday, 01 April 2013 14:24

The two most common problems that we hear from unsatisfied homeowners that have Owens Corning shingles installed on their roofs:

The shingles are defective (i.e. premature cracking, tearing, curling, etc.)
And Corning will not stand behind their product and honor their warranty

First, and often related to the latter, is that a significant number of homeowners with corning shingles (specifically Oakridge asphalt or fiberglass shingles) are finding out the hard way that they are defective. The alleged defects include shingles that crack, crumble, tear (thermal splitting), buckle, and curl, and/or when the shingles have significant granule loss. These are all indicative of manufacturer defect.

Do these numerous reviews of Owens Corning shingles on ConsumerAffairs.com sound familiar?

Second, several homeowners have complained that even after filling out an Owens Corning warranty claim form, their claims are being denied. Corning, according to many clients, is trying to blame the contractors, installers, etc. to avoid responsibility and to avoid honoring their warranty. If you fall into this camp you are NOT alone and more importantly you are NOT out of options. Regardless of where you purchased your shingles, (Lowes, for example, is a very popular reseller of Oakridge Owens Corning shingles) we can help.

Cates Mahoney, LLC is experienced in product liability litigation and is committed to making sure your roof gets repaired/replaced. The manufacturer needs to be held financially responsible and we will do everything possible to see that they are.

Another Victory for Victims of Vaginal Mesh

Details: Created on Wednesday, 13 March 2013 14:24

Bellwether cases were setup to determine if, in general, the multitude of cases against the manufacturers of vaginal mesh held merit. There are currently thousands of lawsuits from individual women against the makers of vaginal mesh, so the courts decided that in an effort to increase efficiency, they would consolidate these lawsuits into MDLs. Multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal procedure designed to efficiently process a large number of similar complex cases.

The bellwether case against Ethicon resulted in a jury awarded verdict of $3.35 million for one of the victims of vaginal mesh, Linda Gross.

While Linda's verdict represents one of worst vaginal mesh experiences, including 18 surgeries to repair her vaginal mesh implant, women with lesser injuries may expect financial compensation more representative of their injuries. Often what happens in MDLs, is that a matrix of severity of injury and payout amounts will be constructed. Those women with the most severe injuries will receive the largest payouts. Those with lesser injuries will receive more modest sums.

About 10% of women will experience pain (or worse) after receiving vaginal mesh implants. Those who received their implants transvaginally are at higher risk. Vaginal mesh can shrink or tear and result in pain, bleeding, perforation of nearby organs, pain during intercourse, and more. Repairing vaginal mesh requires, on average, up to 4 additional surgeries.

C.R. Bard, American Medical Systems, Boston Scientific, Coloplast, and Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon) were all allegedly aware that the risks of vaginal mesh did not outweigh the benefits of alternate forms of treatment. They chose profits over patient safety.

If you have questions about your vaginal mesh injury, the Vaginal Mesh attorneys of Cates Mahoney, LLC are here to answer them, for free. We're currently providing free consultations and will explain what you can expect should you decide to stand up to those that have caused you pain. We are one of the oldest firms when it comes to fighting for the victims of vaginal mesh and our successful track record in this type of product liability litigation makes us confident that we can help you. Contact us today to ensure that time does not limit your options.

Dislocated Mirena IUD and Abdominal Pain

Details: Created on Thursday, 28 February 2013 14:24

Roughly 5% of women with a Mirena IUD will experience an IUD that dislocates or gets expelled.

A dislocation or expulsion is when the IUD dislocates partially or fully from the uterus. This can lead to severe abdominal pain, pain during intercourse, or worse. There are even cases where the IUD dislocates and perforates the uterus, leading to serious complications.

If it is determined that Bayer Corporation, the manufacturer of the Mirena IUD, was negligent in their full disclosure of this risk to women, financial compensation may be available to those who have been injured by this product.

Other side effects that have been linked to Mirena IUDs include ovarian cysts, infection, ectopic pregnancy, septic abortion, etc. To learn more about these and other risks of using the Mirena IUDs, please visit the Mirena IUD Lawyers | Cates Mahoney, LLC homepage.

You can also contact us for a free consultation. We will help you understand what options are available and if there is a sense of urgency to file a claim, based on your individual set of circumstances. We have a vast amount of experience and a strong track record when it comes to product liability.

As Seen on TV National Alert for Mirena IUD

Details: Created on Friday, 22 February 2013 14:24

As Seen on TV - National Alert for - Mirena IUD

Click for more information about Mirena IUDs and see if you qualify for financial compensation

Monster Energy to Change Labeling

Details: Created on Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:24

In a recent article we discussed energy drinks and their lack of FDA regulation (since they are classified as ‘food supplements’ and not beverages).

Monster Beverage Corp has recently announced that they will be changing the labeling on their energy drinks. They will start listing nutritional facts, opposed to supplemental facts. As such, this product will be considered a beverage and not a supplement. This move will require them to be regulated by the FDA and disclose the amount of caffeine (among other ingredients and quantities thereof) in Monster Energy.

Energy drinks have come under fire lately due to the number of injuries and deaths they have been linked to. The FDA took notice toward the end of 2012 and began an investigation into these claims.

On the surface this appears to be a smart move by Monster Beverage Corp. The downside risk of such a maneuver seems minimal, although there is bound to be some additional cost associated with getting and maintaining FDA approval for their beverage. The upside benefits; however, could be substantial. This may be an important step in protecting consumers from energy drinks and get them the regulation that all similar beverages are required to have.

If you or a loved one has been injured by energy drinks, Cates Mahoney, LLC has the resources to help. We provide free consultations and will let you know if we think financial compensation may be available for your injuries. Such injuries may include the following: heart palpitations, over-stimulation of the heart and nervous system, increased blood pressure, tremors, and insomnia. There have also been reports of some herbs in certain energy drinks that may not interact well with some medications.

Did Your Bank Purchase Expensive ‘Force Placed’ Insurance For You?

Details: Created on Monday, 11 February 2013 14:24

Six months ago we spread the word that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was going to take measures in 2013 to protect homeowners against force placed insurance.

According to ConsumerFinance.gov, these new/approved rules will go into effect in early 2014. “Under the new rules, servicers need a reasonable basis to believe borrowers lack their own insurance, and they must determine this on a case-by-case basis. The servicer also has to notify the borrower before purchasing the force-placed insurance policy and annually before renewing the policy.”

The original goal of the CFPB, per their April 2012 press release with regards to forced insurance, was to “…consider a rule that would give the consumers more rights including requiring servicers to give advance notice and pricing information before charging consumers for this insurance.”

Time will tell if these measures will be enough but perhaps between the CFPB’s rulings along with the victims of force placed insurance stepping forward and fighting back, these predatory lending practices can be a thing of the past.

For those who are currently (or have been in the past) a victim of force placed insurance, compensation may be available. Some of the larger lending financial institutions that are allegedly guilty of this practice include, but are not limited to, SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Chase Bank, Citi, and Wells Fargo.

[Speaking of Wells Fargo, this was just brought to our attention – Family angered by Wells Fargo's auto-enrollment for AHS $629 annual warranty - doesn’t do much to reinforce their already questionable character.]

While banks are certainly entitled to protect their assets, there are many cases where we believe they forced insurance upon their clients at unreasonable rates. Click to learn more about forced insurance and to see if you can get some or all of that money back in your pocket. We are currently offering free case evaluations.

Questions to ask your Mirena IUD Lawyer

Details: Created on Monday, 28 January 2013 14:24

What is your experience in handling Mirena IUD cases?

The truth is, and despite what some firms may lead you to believe, Mirena IUD cases are new to everyone. All law firms have an equal amount of experience trying Mirena cases (none). A better question to ask is, what experience does your law firm have in handling these types of cases?

Relative experience is important. You want a firm that has handled similar types of cases. Most recently, Cates Law has been an industry leader in ongoing vaginal mesh litigation. We have also successfully handled countless related cases (drug manufacturer negligence, product liability cases, etc).

You will want a firm that has experience going up against large corporations with powerful legal teams and the ability to defeat them. Cates Law has such experience. We won a record setting verdict for 95 million dollars against a large corporation. We are extremely confident in our abilities.

Will you make me part of a class action lawsuit?

This might be the most important question you can ask. It’s the difference between you getting financially compensated vs your lawyer getting financially compensated. We never make our clients part of a class action. We believe the victims deserve to be fairly compensated above anyone else.

Will I have to travel or testify in court?

In many cases travel is not necessary. Sometimes we will bring cases to trial in a location beneficial to your outcome. If this location is not in your home town or home state, this still does not mean that travel will be required. We can provide additional details on how this process would likely play out.

How much will a Mirena Lawsuit cost?

It’s no secret that lawyers are expensive. Unfortunately only the good ones are worth it. At Cates Law, our Mirena IUD Lawyers only charge a fee if we win your case. We are confident in our abilities and our success rate, and are therefore comfortable taking on 100% of the financial risk.

I hope these questions are enough to get you thinking. Obviously there are many more questions that should be asked and a good lawyer will appreciate your questions and should take time to answer them.

Follow this link to learn more about Mirena IUD Lawsuits.

Mirena IUD Lawyer

Details: Created on Thursday, 24 January 2013 14:24

Most women who are considering a Mirena IUD for their method of birth control are informed of common side effects by their doctor. This may include things like cramps, mood swings, irregular/infrequent menstruation, ovarian cysts, acne, change in sex drive, weight gain, etc.

Armed with this knowledge, many women still choose to get a Mirena IUD implant as they believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

But what if there were additional risks that the manufacturer of the Mirena IUD chose not to disclose? Would as many women have chosen to use this product over safer alternatives? Mirena IUD lawyers have strong reason to suspect that Bayer Corp, the manufacturer of the Mirena IUD, was negligent in disclosing all known risks and were dishonest with disclosing the severity of the risks they did acknowledge.

There are a considerable number of less common side effects that can be quite severe:

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
High blood pressure
Depression
Life-threatening infections
Embedment
Perforation of uterus
Blood Infection
Infertility

For a comprehensive list please visit this site on WebMD.

If you’re thinking about using a Mirena IUD for birth control, please make sure you’re aware of ALL the side effects. If you’re a victim of Mirena IUD, financial compensation may be available to help ease your burden. Regardless of the severity of your side effects, we are interested in hearing your story.

The Mirena IUD lawyers of Cates Law specialize in complex litigation and have a strong history in helping women through sensitive legal battles. We were a leader in helping victims of vaginal mesh and we are now expanding our efforts in helping those injured by Mirena IUDs. We'll speak with, or meet you for free to explain what options might be best for your individual set of circumstances. And as always we never make our clients part of a class action.

Energy Drink ER Visits Double

Details: Created on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 14:24

Energy drink related emergency room visits have doubled since 2007. According to a recent government survey, an estimated 20,000 ER visits occurred for energy drink related complications (i.e. insomnia, fast heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, seizure, heart attack, etc). This is a 100% increase over the number of incidents in 2007.

Since energy drinks are considered a 'food supplement' opposed to a beverage, they adhere to an extremely loose set of regulations.

Our concern with the lack of regulation for energy drinks is shared by the FDA. They have recently begun an investigation into energy drinks and their ingredients.

Have the energy drink manufacturers acted negligently? Should they assume liability when, for example, they release a dangerous product to the market that is easily accessible by a minor, with no warnings on the label? We believe that they do have a responsibility. If you or family member has been negatively impacted by energy drinks, we would like to hear from you. The Energy Drink Lawyers at Cates Law specialize in complex litigation and are here to help. Our goal is to compensate you financially for any injuries or deaths that occurred because of energy drinks, but also to ensure that steps are taken to protect future victims of this negligence.

Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about what options are available. If we take your case, we will always treat you as an individual and never make you part of a class action. This is extremely important, as it ensures that our clients stay fairly compensated opposed to drowning in legal fees.

Forced to Buy Flood Insurance

Details: Created on Wednesday, 09 January 2013 14:24

Gordon Casey, a New York homeowner, recently sued Citibank over the cost that he was being charged for flood insurance. He saw his premiums increase over 350% over the course of 10 years – from $325 to $1,478.

Last week a federal judge allowed Gordon Casey’s lawsuit to move forward by rejecting Citigroup’s request for dismissal.

Citi tried to justify their rates, claiming the rebuild cost of the property was $237k; while the homeowner claimed the property had a market value of $68k. Whether or not $68k would be enough to cover the rebuild cost, it more than likely wouldn’t be anywhere near $237k. Not to mention, considering where his house was located, the chance of a total loss seemed slim.

Citigroup has been linked to their fair share of forcing inflated insurance rates on customers (both for homeowner and flood) but they are far from alone. Other major banks that have been linked to these predatory lending practices include: SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Chase Bank, and Wells Fargo.

If you’ve been taken advantage of by one of these banks or a different one, it may be possible to recover all the excess insurance that you’ve paid – whether it’s been several months, or in the above case, 10 years.

When you search for ‘Forced Insurance Lawyer’ there is a reason why Cates Law is number one. We have established ourselves as leaders in these types of complex litigation and feel confident that we can help you. For more information at no obligation, contact us for free anytime.

Vaginal Mesh 2013 Update

Details: Created on Wednesday, 02 January 2013 14:24

December 2013 will mark the beginning of vaginal mesh MDL and bellwether trials. Bellwether trials help lay the groundwork and provide clarity for how future cases will progress. Multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal procedure designed to efficiently process a large number of similar complex cases.

The following is a list of the first scheduled vaginal mesh bellwether trials. Each link below will take you to a webpage created to provide updates and developments for each trial. These trials will take place in the Southern District of West Virginia before Judge Joseph R. Goodwin:

C.R. Bard (MDL No. 2187)

American Medical Systems (MDL No. 2325)

Boston Scientific (MDL No. 2326)

Ethicon (MDL No. 2327)

Coloplast (MDL No. 2387)

Up to 10% of the many women who receive vaginal mesh implants will experience complications, pain, or discomfort within their lifetime. Vaginal mesh can lead to erosion of the vaginal epithelium, urinary incontinence, serious infection, bleeding, pain during intercourse, vaginal shrinkage, perforation of nearby organs, and more.

For more information about the complications that can arise from vaginal mesh, or to see if you might have a case against the manufacturers of these products, please contact Cates Law today for a free, no obligation consultation. Financial compensation may be available and you will be helping to protect thousands of future victims by speaking up.

Are You a Victim of Forced Insurance?

Details: Created on Wednesday, 19 December 2012 14:24

1. Did your homeowner insurance rates dramatically increase?

2. Did your flood insurance rates dramatically increase?

3. Did you miss a payment for your homeowners insurance and did your bank / lender buy homeowners insurance for you?

4. Has your bank or lender forced insurance upon you even though you already have insurance on your home?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then you may be a victim of forced insurance. This situation is often referred to as Forced Insurance or Force Placed Insurance because a bank or lender has forced an insurance policy upon the property owner / mortgage holder.

The bank may tell you that they are trying to protect one of their assets by ensuring that it is insured. But in an increasing number of cases, these banks were buying extremely unnecessarily expensive insurance and passed the cost along to the homeowner.

Why would they do this? Several banks participated in these predatory practices because they would receive large monetary kickbacks from the insurance policy writer. In this surprisingly common scenario the bank wins, the insurance company wins, and you lose.

Fortunately there is a remedy for these unscrupulous practices. If overpriced insurance premiums were forced upon you, then the banks need to pay restitution. For some homeowners this could mean tens of thousands of dollars back in your pocket.

Some of the banks that have been linked to forced insurance include: SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup.

If you believe that you're a victim of forced insurance, financial compensation may be available. Contact us today and we'll explain how we can help you recover your losses.

Avastin Risks Without Benefits

Details: Created on Monday, 10 December 2012 14:24

Another report was released over the weekend supporting our claims that the benefits of Avastin (Bevacizumab) do not outweigh the risks. In fact, the randomized trial cited in this study, found that Avastin failed to improve the outcome of breast cancer patients when used in conjunction with chemotherapy. It states that the addition of Avastin showed no statistically significant advantage when compared to chemotherapy alone.

To make matters worse, heart attacks were 50% more common for the test patients that were administered Avastin.

Avastin has been linked to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots, tearing of the GI track, severe bleeding, surgical wounds that don't heal correctly, ovarian cancer, and more. And all of these risks come at the cost of offering NO apparent benefits to the patient.

If you were given Avastin and believe it was responsible for any serious side effects, we'd like to know about it. You will be doing a great service in helping to get this dangerous drug off the market. If we find that the manufacturers of Avastin acted negligently, financial compensation may be available to those who come forward.

To learn more about Avastin and to find out about what options may be available to you, we are offering free legal consultations to those who have been injured by Avastin. Our Avastin Lawyers are specialized in these types of complex litigation and stand by our commitment to see that justice is done.

Vaginal Mesh Implants and Types of Female Genital Prolapse

Details: Created on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 14:24

Many women sought pelvic or vaginal mesh implants to help correct Female Genital Prolapse. The following is a brief list and description of the types female genital prolapse, otherwise known as pelvic organ prolapse, or POP:

Cystocele - when the bladder herniates into the vagina.
Enterocele - when the small intestines herniate into the vagina.
Rectocele - when rectal tissues herniate into the vagina.
Urethrocele - is the prolapse of the female urethra into the vagina
Uterine prolapse - is the prolapse of the uterus
Vaginal vault prolapse (after Hysterectomy) - is a prolapse of the vaginal vault (the expanded region of the vaginal canal at the internal end of the vagina).

Up to 10% of the many women to receive pelvic mesh implants to repair damaged tissues, caused by female genital prolapse or POP, will experience complications, pain, or discomfort within their lifetime.

Unfortunately, your pain may have been a gain for the manufacturers of these synthetic mesh products. Companies such as C.R. Bard and Johnson & Johnson may have manufactured these products knowing that they imposed an increased risk of erosion, tearing, and even the return or prolapse at no substantial benefit to the patient. In other words, the risks didn't justify the benefits, above other safer methods of repair.

We recommend having a free conversation with a qualified pelvic mesh lawyer. This will ensure that you understand your options and can make the best decision going forward.  The sooner you act the better, as the statute of limitations may impact what options are available to you. Financial compensation may be available to those who have been injured. Cates Law continues to be a leader in complex litigation with a specialty in vaginal mesh cases.

Energy Drinks Lack Regulation

Details: Created on Tuesday, 27 November 2012 14:24

Believe it or not, energy drinks are considered a ‘food supplement’ and not a beverage. For this reason they receive different regulation (read, none) than almost identical beverages do. For example, the FDA limits caffeine levels in beverages to 70mg per 12 oz drink (soda). But if you call your product an ‘energy drink’ it can apparently have upwards of 500mg of caffeine – and there is no regulation. Is this logical?

No regulation means that children can buy and consume these products as they please. It means that those with a heart condition won’t be properly warned when consuming these products.

Since 2006, Rockstar Inc.’s energy drinks (distributed by PepsiCo) were named in 13 reports submitted to the FDA, in which energy drinks were believed to play a role in some adverse event. These events include hospitalization, nausea, abdominal pain, increased heart rate, and more.

5-Hour Energy was cited 92 times. Monster Beverage Corp was cited 40 times and included 5 deaths. Information is still being processed for other major energy drink brands including Red Bull and AMP Energy.

Should children, pregnant women, those with a heart condition, etc. be warned that these energy drinks can be very dangerous? Of course. What’s the downside? Regulation does not have to mean overly aggressive age restrictions. Perhaps a label change would be a good start. And for some more powerful energy drinks, age restrictions are probably quite appropriate.

If energy drinks have the ability to cause harm to one’s body, they should probably be to some degree regulated. Think of the countless number of supplements that have harmed individuals because the FDA does not regulate dietary supplements.

If you have been injured and believe that energy drinks played a role, we want to hear your story. Our Energy Drink Lawyers are experts in complex litigation and are here to help you understand what options may be available. As always, there is no charge for our initial consultation, and we have the resources to start working on your case in as little as 24 hours.

Further Complications Even After Corrective Vaginal Mesh Removal Surgery

Details: Created on Monday, 05 November 2012 14:24

A bit of concerning news has been released by RenalAndUrologyNews.com. Jerry Blaivas, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, has performed many surgical procedures involving the implantation of vaginal mesh and has reported the following.

He revisited 47 cases where he had personally implanted surgical mesh. He considered 72% of the operations to be a success but of those, he described the outcome as 'suboptimal' and had this to say, “The ‘successes' were only relative for many patients—that is, they were better than were before their salvage surgery, but most were much worse than before their original sling surgery.”

For woman who have received vaginal mesh implants, and based on this one surgeon's estimations, there may be further complications even after corrective mesh removal surgery. While this is a rather bleak outlook, it is a general statement. Many women will not experience further complications and will recover just fine.

Johnson & Johnson, CR Bard, and other vaginal mesh manufacturers may have known about the dangers of their products yet acted negligently. If this is found to be the case, a lot of monetary compensation will likely be made available to those women who have come forward.

Statute of limitations varies from state to state and may require you to act sooner than later. Please consider speaking with an experienced vaginal mesh lawyer today and get a free case evaluation to learn what options are available to you. Then you may decide what is best for you and your family but at least this way, you'll be making the right decision by leaving all of your options open.

The Cates Law Firm was one of the first firms to bring national attention to these devastating products and continues to be a leader in providing excellent legal representation to women who have experienced both emotional and physical pain from vaginal mesh.

The most common side effects of vaginal mesh include when the product tears, erodes, or contracts and this can lead to erosion of the vaginal epithelium, urinary incontinence, serious infection, bleeding, pain during intercourse, vaginal shrinkage, perforation of nearby organs, and more.

Super Storm Sandy and Forced Insurance

Details: Created on Thursday, 01 November 2012 14:24

According to the industry's latest annual survey (AP), "Nationwide, 13 percent of homeowners have flood insurance."

That number may seem small but most people do not live in a flood plain or in a high risk area. Interestingly, however, according to the National Flood Insurance Program, most homes are unlikely to ever be damaged by flooding and nearly 20 percent of flood claims come from areas considered to be at low to moderate risk of flooding.

As cleanup from Super Storm Sandy continues, a lot of people in the Northeast who thought they were doing everything right to protect their family and their home are going to find themselves in a tough position when they find out that their homeowners policy may not cover damage from flooding. For these folks, we wish you the best.

If you find yourself getting little cooperation from your insurer, President Obama has declared New York and New Jersey major disaster areas, which opens up federal dollars in the form of grants to help those who need coverage for uninsured property losses.

The following applies to homeowners who had insurance (and/or flood insurance) who may be a victim of forced insurance: if you've experienced a significant increase in rates, you may be a victim of forced insurance. If your bank has forced homeowners insurance or flood insurance upon you at dramatically inflated rates, we may be able to help you recover that money.

We understand that this may not be an immediate priority but at some point every extra dollar may help. We believe that several banks, including SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup may have engaged in predatory practices.

While banks are certainly entitled to protecting their assets, there are many cases where we believe they forced insurance upon their clients at unreasonable rates. Click to learn more about forced insurance and to see if we can help. We are currently offering free case evaluations.

Vaginal Mesh Use Declines

Details: Created on Monday, 22 October 2012 14:24

As a leader in vaginal mesh litigation and in educating women about the dangers of vaginal implanted mesh products, Cates Law is pleased to announce that an increasing number of surgeons/specialists are reducing their use of vaginal mesh kits. This is a clear indication and acknowledgement of the risks and dangers posed by such products.

There are still, however, a number of physicians who continue to use vaginal mesh kits despite the growing evidence of their risks. Given many of the cases we have seen, and seeing first-hand the emotional and physical pain mesh can cause, this troubles us. Granted, there are plenty of instances where mesh kits can be successfully implanted and will most not cause any problems for the life of the product; however, given the risks is it really worth it, versus alternative methods of treatment? Even by simply implanting the mesh abdominally, the risks fall dramatically. And for instances when this isn’t an option there are other surgical options that do not involve mesh. If you are currently in this position, please speak with your physician about alternatives, or go get a second opinion.

For vaginally implanted mesh kits, there is at least a 10% chance that at some point during the life of the mesh, there will be tearing, shrinkage, or erosion of the mesh – this can lead to bleeding, perforation of nearby organs, pain during intercourse, infection, and more.

Perhaps the most tragic part about the pain these products have caused is that we believe manufacturer negligence is to blame – which means this all could have been avoidable, had the manufacturers taken more precautions and placed patient safety ahead of profits.

Please step forward if you or your spouse has been injured by vaginal mesh. You will be doing a great service to yourself and in ensuring that future women can avoid the pain that you unfortunately had to endure.

Vaginal Mesh and Pain during Sexual Intercourse

Details: Created on Monday, 15 October 2012 14:24

One of the most common side effects of vaginally implanted mesh devices is that over time the mesh can shrink, tighten, and tear. This tearing can often poke through one of the vaginal walls and can be noticeably felt during intercourse by both partners. Many brands of mesh use a material very similar to what Rubbermaid makes storage containers out of. One can easily imagine the pain that can come from such a rigid material in such a sensitive area, especially when it is no longer smooth; rather a sharp jagged or torn edge.

Some of the additional problems that arise when vaginal mesh erodes and/or tears (besides pain) is scarring, additional corrective surgeries, as well as the pelvic mesh perforating other areas of the body, such as the bladder, bowel, and other surrounding tissues/organs.

It is expected that up to 10% of these vaginally implanted mesh devices will be defective within the patient's lifetime. If you have experienced any complications it is paramount that you contact your physician. If at that point, you feel like being compensated for the massive amounts of emotional and physical pain caused to you, additional recovery with the help of qualified vaginal mesh lawyers, is only a click away.

Forced Insurance Lawyer

Details: Created on Wednesday, 03 October 2012 14:24

Insurance companies, in an attempt to protect their assets, will force flood, hazard, and/or homeowners insurance upon homeowners who have a lapse in their policies. Actually the insurance company will buy their own policy on the property and pass the costs along to the homeowner, oftentimes at bloated prices. Sometimes (and hopefully only when a mistake is made) lenders will force a policy upon homeowners even if they're already covered. This may involve, for example, forcing flood insurance upon a homeowner that is not located inside of a flood plain.

If your bank forced insurance upon you and you believe it was a mistake, we encourage you to call your bank and try to cordially resolve the issue. If however, your bank forced insurance upon you and your rates have risen substantially as a result, then your bank may be involved in unacceptable and predatory practices. Fortunately, if this has happened to you, recourse is available. Contact our Forced Insurance Lawyers today for a free consultation. We will explain how and why the banks do this and how we will do everything we can to recover every penny that you were overcharged. We have attorneys on staff who are specialized in this type of litigation.

There is some good news on the way to help protect future victims from forced insurance predatory banking practices. That of course does little to help those already hurt by these overpriced policies. While these new laws should help future victims; we can help those who are currently, or have previously been victimized. Some of the larger lending financial institutions that are allegedly guilty of this practice include, but are not limited to, SunTrust, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, and Citi Mortgage.

Swansea IL Law Firm

Details: Created on Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:24

Cates Law has been very fortunate throughout their 35 years of practicing law. What started as a small local law firm in Swansea IL, has grown into a nationally recognized and respected practice. We have done this through our unwavering commitment to justice and a personal sense of pride in our business.

Long-time headquartered in Swansea Illinois; our local clients have always been and will continue to be an important part of our business. We will always remain committed to bringing our national success to our local clients.

We wanted to take this time to inform all of our fellow Swansea villagers of some of the important areas of practice in which we are still accepting new clients. We encourage you to contact us on behalf of yourself or a loved one and we will provide you with an absolutely free consultation to help you understand all of the legalities of your individual situation.

Vaginal Mesh: Cates Law was one of the first law firms to become nationally recognized for our pursuit to bringing justice to those women who have been physically and emotionally damaged by vaginal mesh. Learn more about Vaginal Mesh.

Pradaxa: is a blood thinner, designed to keep blood from clotting in an effort to reduce the risk of stroke in with atrial fibrillation (AF). Unfortunately, Pradaxa comes with serious side effects that can lead to excessive bleeding, heart attack, or even death. Learn more about Pradaxa at our affiliate site www.PradaxaLaw.com.

Propecia: The manufacturer of Propecia may have been negligent in understating the long term side effects associated with their drug. Learn more about Propecia.

Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma is an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Cates Law has a special section of their website dedicated to those who have been injured by mesothelioma. Learn more about Mesothelioma.

Sexual Harassment: Cates Law was awarded the largest verdict in US history for any sexual harassment case ($95million). Learn more about Sexual Harassment.

Terbutaline: Terbutaline is a drug often given to women to prevent preterm labor. Originally developed to treat asthmatic symptoms, Terbutaline was first reportedly used in 1997 to slow down or to stop labor contractions. This use of Terbutaline is unapproved and has reportedly led to severe side effects. To learn more about Terbutaline or if you believe Terbutaline was responsible for injury caused to you or your child, please visit the Terbutaline National Claims Center.

These are just a few of the many areas of complex litigation that we feel confident in representing you in. Our team of legal experts specializes in these types of cases and many more. If we don’t think we are the best firm to represent you for your individual case, we will recommend you to someone better suited for your legal needs.

Thanks again to all of our past, present, and future Swansea Illinois clients!!

How Common Is Vaginal Prolapse?

Details: Created on Wednesday, 05 September 2012 14:24

Vaginal prolapse is surprisingly common. Experts suggest that between 30 and 50 percent of women will develop a prolapse at some point in their life. Of those women, up to 10 percent will experience uncomfortable and/or painful symptoms.

Last year alone more than 100,000 women had vaginal mesh implants to correct vaginal prolapse. There remain two main ways in which to treat this:

Biologic Grafts - transplantation of skin designed to reinforce weakened vaginal tissue
Vaginal Mesh - a synthetic means of strengthening the weakened vaginal tissue

Many believe biologic grafts are superior to using vaginal mesh, given that there tend to be fewer complications; however, biologic grafts also tend to be considerably more expensive and don't have as many applicable uses as its synthetic counterpart. With regards to possible complications, there is an increased risk that mesh is more likely to protrude through the area in which it's been placed. This is known as erosion and can lead to a slew of complications, including bleeding, pain during intercourse, perforation of nearby organs, etc.

Cates Law continues to be one of the leading firms in speaking out against vaginal mesh implants. Whether you have heard of us through our television commercials or found us on the internet, we have made ourselves as accessible as possible to help women who have been injured by these products.

It is our strong suspicion that the manufacturers of these products were negligent and aware of the dangers of their product but chose to place profits ahead of patient safety. If a judge or jury determine this to be the case, we will do everything possible to maximize your financial settlement to help ease the emotional and physical burden that has been placed upon you and (in some cases) your spouse. The easiest way to see if you are eligible for a large financial settlement, is to contact us as soon as possible as there may be limitations on when you are able to seek recovery.

Vaginal Mesh Alternatives

Details: Created on Thursday, 30 August 2012 14:24

Non-surgical methods of treating pelvic organ prolapse

These are only advisable if you have mild symptoms.

Kegel exercises
Maintaining a healthy weight
Reducing your caffeine intake
Avoid heavy lifting

For woman who are not good surgical candidates but when the above is not sufficient

Consider using a vaginal pessary - a removable device similar to a diaphragm that supports the pelvic area.

Surgical methods of treating pelvic organ prolapse

If these non-surgical methods do not bring relief, it may be necessary to consider surgical options. Discuss with your doctor. All surgical methods revolve around the idea of repairing, restoring, or supporting the weakened vaginal tissues and surrounding areas.

Some specific surgeries your doctor may recommend include:

Repairing the bladder and/or urethra
Hysterectomy - removal of the uterus
Repairing the rectum or small bowel
Repairing vaginal walls
Vaginal obliteration (closure of the vagina)

One preferred method of supporting the prolapsed organ is to use a synthetic piece of material called a biologic graft to reposition and support the organ to nearby ligaments and tissues.

In the past, it was common for doctors to use a synthetic mesh version of these grafts but many complications arose and the FDA has recently warned against using these mesh implants, especially transvaginally. If you are a former patient of a vaginal mesh implant you should speak with your physician to discuss your options. They are currently found to be defective in about 10% of patients.

If you are interested in seeking recovery against the companies that may have known about the hazards and complications of using these mesh implants, it is wise to speak with a Vaginal Mesh Lawyer. They will be able to help you understand what options are available, what the statute of limitations may be in your specific case, and generally explain what you can expect from the process of recovering financial compensation.

Vaginal Mesh Erosion

Details: Created on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 14:24

Up to 10% of women who have had vaginal mesh implants will at some point experience a certain level of pain or discomfort, associated with their defective implant. The FDA has recently made strongly worded statements advising against the implantation of all vaginal mesh.

Specific symptoms of the pain and discomfort associated with vaginal mesh implants are:

Erosion and/or protrusion of the mesh from surrounding tissues
Infections in the area of the mesh implant
Pain (includes pain during intercourse)
Bleeding around where the mesh was implanted
Urinary tract problems
Additional/abnormal injury to nearby organs

On average, (and in cases where mesh erosion was present) it took only 4.1 months for vaginal mesh erosion to occur. Compare this to over 15 months for the erosion of mesh, implanted through the abdomen.

So how is the erosion of vaginal mesh cured? In serious cases it requires surgery. In much less serious cases there are some minor steps that can be taken to potentially bring relief (i.e. kegels, healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding heavy lifting, etc). For serious cases, however – those requiring surgery – the mesh is removed and the damaged tissue needs to be re-sewn. Mesh removal requires two surgeries, on average, but can require many more and sometimes only one. Some patients were even able to be treated with topical estrogen cream and relatively minor stitching. In some cases, a partial mesh removal surgery can be performed, whereas only the portion of exposed mesh is removed.

Before surgery (according to the FDA):

Be aware of risks associated with POP repair using a vaginal incision
Understand that a surgery with mesh might require additional surgery to correct mesh problems–and that in a few cases even repeat surgery may not cure the problem.
Ask your doctor about other POP treatment options. If they recommend mesh, have a clear understanding of why this is the preferred option.

After surgery (according to the FDA):

Continue with routine check ups
Notify their doctors if they begin to have persisting vaginal bleeding/discharge, pelvic or groin pain, or pain with sex.
Let your doctor know you have mesh. This is especially important if you are planning to have another abdominal/pelvic surgery.
If you are unsure if mesh was used , ask your surgeon if you had a mesh placed during your POP repair

Only after you've spoken with your primary physician or gynecologist, if you are still interested in seeking recovery for your injuries against the companies responsible for these defective products, please seek the advice of a Vaginal Mesh Lawyer . The manufacturers of these devastating products may have likely placed profits ahead of your safety. Our legal team has the knowledge and experience to go after these manufacturers to help put these profits back into the pockets of the victims.

Injured From Vaginal Mesh?

Details: Created on Thursday, 26 July 2012 14:24

The first vaginal mesh case to go before a jury has concluded this week. C.R. Bard (a manufacturer of vaginal mesh implants) and the doctor who performed the operation were ordered to pay $5.5 million in damages. This California jury determined that Bard was 60% responsible while the doctor was 40% responsible. Bard plans to appeal the verdict.

In this particular case, the mesh implant had eroded and was causing significant pain as well as incontinence and other complications. Erosion of mesh implants is the most common side effect and can lead to pain, bleeding, perforation of nearby organs, pain during intercourse, etc. In this case $500,000 of the $5.5 million was actually awarded to the victim's husband for the inability to be intimate with his wife.

Similar cases are mounting, not only against Bard, but against other manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants including Johnson & Johnson. J&J was recently ordered to halt all sales of their mesh products due to the high levels of complaints that the FDA has received. Regardless of the manufacturer, they are all similar in design and have similar serious design flaws. If you are unsure of who manufactured your mesh kit, contact us and we will be able to help you find the answer. If you (or as you've seen from above, your husband) have been injured from vaginal mesh we may be able to help you recover financial compensation for your pain. Our Vaginal Mesh Lawyers are very knowledgeable about these cases and have a broad understanding of how/why the manufacturers of these products may have acted negligently.

We will make sure, as we do for all of our clients, that the process of financial recovery is as quick and stress-free as possible. For a limited time we are still accepting clients both locally and nationwide. The major advantage to this, versus choosing a lawyer that may be closer to you geographically, is that we have the resources to help us determine what we believe is the best jurisdiction for your case. Important - this does not mean you will have to travel. And we never make our clients part of a class action. Our clients are important to us and we believe that they must be treated as individuals.

Claims Against PFG

Details: Created on Thursday, 19 July 2012 14:24

Russell Wasendorf Sr., the former CEO of Peregrine Financial Group Inc. (PFG) was arrested last week. This came promptly after his attempted suicide, PFG filing for bankruptcy, and the discovery of Wasendorf's suicide letter where he admitted to falsifying documents and forging signatures. The letter indicated that during the financial crisis, the company wasn't going to survive and that keeping the company running (through any means necessary, including fraud) was more important than letting the company go under. This appears to be another case of ego superseding the interests of clients and shareholders.

At least $200 million has gone missing from client accounts. Wasendorf, perhaps others, falsely reported the aggregate balance of client accounts – claiming there was $205 million when in fact only $5 million can be accounted for.

In an attempt to make clients of PFG whole again, steps are being taken to claw-back any funds that were misappropriated over a period of up to 5 years. Any charitable organization that received donations from PFG may be ordered to return the money.

While this is unfortunate for the charities, in many cases these universities, hospitals, etc. can stomach the losses a whole lot easier than the clients whose account values went up in smoke.

If you were a client of PFG and lost money as a result of the company's fraudulent behavior, filing a claim against PFG will help to ensure that you recover some or all of your losses once PFG's missing funds are located. As you can see, even money that they donated is subject to claw-backs so it's just a matter of how much can be recovered. PFG is currently estimated to have between $500 million and $1 billion in assets that can also be used to repay their clients. Upon contact, we will provide you with additional details on how to proceed and what you can expect throughout this process.

PFG Lawsuit

Details: Created on Thursday, 12 July 2012 14:24

If you have a brokerage account with Peregrine Financial Group Inc. (PFG) and lost money due to their alleged falsification of bank statements, we may be able to help you recover some or all of your money through legal action. While this disaster is still under investigation, it is recommended that you file a lawsuit as soon as possible.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and FBI admit that at this stage of the investigation, the whereabouts of the funds are still unknown. Should they become available; however, those that have filed a lawsuit against PFG will be eligible for recovery.

Brokerage firms are required to segregate client funds from other accounts and activities of the firm. PFG did not do this. They were reporting $225 million in 1,845 customer accounts, when in fact those accounts only had a balance of $5million. Documents were fabricated, signatures were forged, and money disappeared.

This tragedy comes on the heels of MF Global who also either misappropriated client funds or used them as a last ditch speculative bet to try and salvage the company. In light of this and now with PFG, the CFTC is set to adopt client-fund safeguards to prevent future tragedies of this nature. Fortunately, in the case of MF Global there will likely be criminal prosecution. A similar fate may befall the executive management team of PFG; however, it's still too early in the investigation to know who all will be held responsible.

On Tuesday, July 10, 2012 PFG filed for bankruptcy protection. We are seeking clients who lost money with either MF Global or PFG. The only way to recover lost funds will be to file a claim and wait to see if money becomes available. Some optimistic news is that even though PFG has filed bankruptcy, they still own between $500 million and $1 billion in assets. Even though the process to recover funds will be difficult, filing a claim is the first step. A team of PFG Lawyers have been assembled, highly trained in these types of complex financial litigation. They can walk you through the entire process, explain everything in a clear and concise manner, and provide you with your best available options. Call or email us today for a free consultation and reference your potential claim against MF Global or PFG: 1-877-455-6376

Force Placed Insurance – Help On the Way

Details: Created on Tuesday, 10 July 2012 14:24

Help may be around the corner for future potential victims of force-placed insurance policies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a federal agency tasked with regulating consumer protections in the US. They are in the process of finalizing rules aimed to protect homeowners from costly surprises from their mortgage lender/servicer. These rules are set to be finalized by January 21, 2013. They are drafting a section specific to force-placed insurance, seen below, titled: 'Options for Avoiding Costly "Forced-Placed" Insurance':

Force Placed Insurance Rules 1

Force Placed Insurance Rules 2

It was unfortunately necessary for the CFPB to draft a 'force-placed insurance' section within these rules to protect homeowners. For years, due to lapses in insurance policies, perceived inadequate coverage, etc. banks would buy their own insurance on the property and add this amount to the homeowner's monthly mortgage payment. That behavior is fine and actually necessary to protect their asset. What isn't fair, is when the banks buy overpriced insurance (in which they would receive a large commission or kick-back for doing so) and pass the overpriced premium onto the homeowner. This way the bank wins (big commissions) and the insurance company wins (increased business) and the homeowner loses.

If your bank forced overpriced insurance policies on you and you believe that you have been a victim of force-placed insurance, there may be a way to recover your money. The following list of banks that may have engaged in these practices include (but are not limited to) SunTrust, Bank of America, Chase, Well Fargo, Citigroup, and JP Morgan. If you have been a victim of these unscrupulous practices and would like to learn more about what options are available based on your individual situation, please contact one of our experienced Forced Insurance Lawyers.

Click the following to read the CFPB's Mortgage Servicing whitepaper in its entirety.

Vaginal Mesh - Profits vs Safety

Details: Created on Friday, 29 June 2012 14:24

It was announced this week that J&J, back in 2007/2008, continued to sell their vaginal mesh implants after the FDA ordered them to halt all sales, based on deficiencies and a failure to provide adequate information about their mesh products.

This is why bringing lawsuits against the manufacturers of vaginal mesh are so important. J&J understood the FDAs orders and ignored them. Why? Because they knew any benefits they received from additional sales would outweigh the meager penalty of any FDA fines.

In other words if the FDA cannot enforce adequate financial disincentives for these manufacturers to act responsibly perhaps a few thousand lawsuits will. Admittedly, there is nothing enjoyable about the process of filing a lawsuit. In fact, the litigious behavior of a few bad apples in our society has, for the most part, placed a stigma on filing lawsuits. But in cases like this it is literally the only way to even begin to recover the losses that have and will occur to these women. This applies to both the financial losses from previous and additional surgeries, if necessary; as well as compensation for the pain that these devices have been known to cause.

Vaginal mesh, especially when implanted transvaginally, can tear or erode and can cause bleeding, pain during intercourse, incontinence, perforation of nearby organs, and more. J&J wasn't looking out for you when they placed their profits above your safety. You should extend them the same gratitude.

For more information about what you can expect when filing a vaginal mesh lawsuit, or to gain a better understanding of what options might be available to you, please feel free to contact us. There is no risk or obligation to you whatsoever.

Forced Flood Insurance

Details: Created on Thursday, 21 June 2012 14:24

Over the last several years, a number of large banks have been forcing homeowners to purchase excessive and in some cases unnecessary flood insurance policies at overpriced premiums. If you have been forced or pressured into buying one of these costly policies you may be able to recover your losses. A bank or mortgage company can sneakily force one of these policies by forcing homeowners to own flood insurance beyond what is required by law. They can also force flood insurance even though the homeowner was already covered under an existing HOA or condo association policy.

The reason that banks such as SunTrust, Bank of America, Chase, Well Fargo, Citigroup, JP Morgan (among many others) were tempted to engage in these unscrupulous practices was because they would receive kickbacks or commissions from the insurance underwriter that they were in cahoots with. In some cases the banks were directly affiliated (owned by the same parent company) with the insurance companies. The banks would buy insurance, force the overpriced policy on the homeowner, and since the bank and insurance company are owned by the same parent company the homeowner gets taken advantage of and the parent company gets rich.

These forced insurance policies do NOT only apply to flood insurance. This is just one common example. Banks have done the exact same thing with homeowners insurance and have forced these policies on the property owners at overpriced rates as well. The banks absolutely have the right to insure their property (since they still own the property until the loan/mortgage is repaid) but they do not have the right to fleece homeowners and charge them outrageous rates.

If you believe that you have been a victim of forced insurance you will need an experienced Forced Insurance Lawyer to help you recover these costs. If you fill out a free evaluation form, we will let you know what to expect and if you may be entitled to recover the costs of these expensive premiums.

Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits

Details: Created on Friday, 15 June 2012 14:24

We were recently pleased to announce that Johnson & Johnson has agreed to discontinue selling all but one of their transvaginal mesh products. This is a direct result of victims speaking up against the negligence of a large medical device manufacturer who placed profits ahead of safety.

It is now more important than ever to come forward if vaginal mesh has caused you any amount of pain. Here's why: if things continue down this path (where the manufacturers are willing to stop selling their products – i.e. an admission that the rate of failure of these devices is significant and unacceptable) then the following lawsuits may play out.

If a judge decides that the manufacturers of vaginal mesh were negligent and responsible for the pain their products have caused, they are likely to come up with a methodology to compensate the victims. Obviously, a woman who has had severe pain, bleeding, and multiple surgeries should receive a larger payout than a woman who has only had some mild discomfort. Hence, a class action would not be appropriate in this situation. So the judge might come up with a dollar amount for which J&J, for example, is responsible. Then all victims of vaginal mesh may be placed into a 'matrix' of sorts to try and match the level of pain/inconvenience/etc with a level of compensation, in the most fair and equitable way possible.

This differs from class actions in where all victims are equally compensated and the lawyers are the only ones that come out with a large payout. The purpose of the above setup is to acknowledge that it may be unfeasible for a judge to hear thousands of similar cases but where discretion is still available to fairly compensate everyone differently – so that the most injured victims receive the highest payout, the least injured victims receive a smaller payout and everyone in between falls somewhere in the pain/payout matrix.

It's still too early to know for sure but if these cases end up going down a similar path as described above, there will essentially be a large pot of money available to those who come forward. Unfortunately, you will still need a lawyer to facilitate this payout process but if choose a good vaginal mesh lawyer carefully, your odds of maximizing your compensation increase dramatically. There are a lot of things that a lawyer, experienced with this type of litigation, can do to ensure that you get a bigger slice of the pie and to ensure that you are adequately compensated for any pain that vaginal mesh has caused you; both for any past/additional surgeries that may be required, as well as any other pain that is less tangible (i.e. years of a ruined sex life due to the tearing of a vaginal mesh implant.) We'll even let you know for free if we think you have a case and what options are available to you.

Slimquick, Green Tea Extract, and Your Health

Details: Created on Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:24

Green tea is often cited as having wonderful health benefits and in its most natural form it most likely does. But when it is concentrated into an extract and consumed, it can be very toxic to the liver. Green tea extract is a primary ingredient in Slimquick. Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is a potent antioxidant that is found in green tea and EGCG in large doses has been found to be toxic. Due to numerous liver injury reports in France and Spain, weight loss drugs that contain high concentrations of EGCG have already been pulled from the market.

Why was green tea extract added to Slimquick?

According to Wikipedia, "Although green tea does not raise the metabolic rate enough to produce immediate weight loss, a green tea extract containing polyphenols and caffeine has been shown to induce thermogenesis and stimulate fat oxidation, boosting the metabolic rate 4% without increasing the heart rate." But at what cost?

Is there evidence that Slimquick is unsafe?

In addition to the aforementioned weight loss pills being pulled in Europe, we are now seeing similar liver injuries in the United States from women with otherwise healthy livers, who took weight loss drugs that contain high levels of green tea extract and EGCG, such as Slimquick. According to the International Journal of Toxicity studies performed on fasting dogs have further confirmed that green tea extract can be toxic to the liver. Another study by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that green tea supplements can cause liver failure in humans. Slimquick looks to be the latest among a long list of weight loss pills that are ultimately determined ineffective, or even worse, unsafe.

Are there any other potentially dangerous compounds in Slimquick?

Many of our previous articles have already extensively covered the risks and safety concerns surrounding Slimquick but focused on yet another harmful ingredient: Hydroquinone. This compound was added to Slimquick because it exhibited some signs of appetite reduction and minor weight loss in rats; however, it too can be extremely toxic to the liver and has been linked to liver disease.

What can you do if Slimquick has damaged your liver?

If you are a woman who took Slimquick because you were led to believe it was a safe and viable weight-loss dietary supplement and subsequently received damage to your liver or have been diagnosed with liver disease, you may be entitled to massive financial compensation. We will let you know for free if we believe you have a case. If we have reason to believe that Slimquick was responsible for damaging your liver (i.e. no previous liver conditions) we will start working on your case immediately to make sure you are taken care of financially. Treating a damaged liver can be incredibly expensive and if you want to maximize your odds of recovery, you'll want to choose a firm with a strong and successful track record in pharmaceutical litigation. Our Slimquick Lawyers will treat you as an individual and never make you part of a class action.

A Win for Victims of Vaginal Mesh

Details: Created on Tuesday, 05 June 2012 14:24

Thanks to the hundreds of women who stood up to large medical device manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop the sale of several of their vaginal mesh implants. J&J told a West Virginia judge today that they intended to halt the sale of their pelvic mesh implants worldwide. The FDA has been curiously slow to stop the sale of these products even after their own advisory panel urged them to reclassify the devices from Class II to Class III (a higher risk class that imposes a stricter approval process and safety standards).

J&J intends to continue the sale of one of their mesh products that is implanted abdominally (opposed to transvaginally); however, the failure rate of these implants is significantly less.

Vaginal Mesh will negatively affect up to 10% of women who were implanted transvaginally. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort, to severe pain. The most common side effect is erosion of the mesh which leads to tearing of surrounding tissues, muscles, and even organs. This can then lead to bleeding, incontinence, and pain during intercourse.

Cates Law continues to be one of the leaders in pursuing justice for the victims of these mesh products that should have been more thoroughly tested. If you have not yet come forward as a victim of vaginal mesh it is not too late. We have the knowledge and experience to maximize your financial compensation and equally important, disincentivize future negligent behavior from these large corporations that place their profits ahead of our safety. Our highly trained staff of vaginal mesh lawyers has a profound understanding of defective product litigation and can start working on your case immediately. Due to case-by-case statute of limitations, the sooner you contact us the better but there is never any obligation and we always give free consultations.

Most Common Vaginal Mesh Complications

Details: Created on Tuesday, 29 May 2012 14:24

Medical professionals estimate that up to 10% of women who have had vaginal mesh implants will at some point experience pain or discomfort. These products were intended to rebuild the pelvic floor and reverse the negative effects of pelvic organ prolapse; however, evidence suggests that the manufacturers were aware that the benefits did NOT outweigh the risks and chose to market these mesh implants anyway. The following are the most common vaginal mesh complications that can arise from vaginal mesh surgery.

Mesh Erosion – Where the synthetic material erodes through vaginal tissue. Sometimes, this mesh exposure pokes through an improperly healed incision line, or if the mesh was implanted too close to the surface of the existing tissue. This can cause a sense of tightness or pulling and can lead to infection or pain. In some cases, the eroded mesh can be felt during intercourse and can be extremely uncomfortable or painful.

Pain with Intercourse – this complication can cause pain in two main forms. If mesh erosion is present, the woman's partner can feel this protrusion. This can range from uncomfortable to causing lacerations. The second form is more painful for the woman and can include unpleasant tightness or pulling on the muscles/tissues.

Pain in the legs, buttocks, or vagina – these complications can be present when the implanted mesh pulls on the pelvic floor muscles/nerves. One of the drawbacks of synthetic mesh is that over time it can shrink or tighten. This, as above, can lead to pain or worse. As time went on, surgeons learned to implant mesh tension-free; however, many early procedures were not done this way.

Abscess – an abscess is a collection of pus in any part of the body that, in most cases, causes swelling and inflammation around it. This would constitute as a major complication, so fortunately it's a rare one. Often times the blame here is not on the mesh kit itself, rather the surgeon who performed the procedure or how the body reacted to the mesh implant.

If you are experiencing any of these common vaginal mesh complications or any other negative side effects from these implants, it is imperative that you seek medical attention. If you have already done so and are interested in additional recovery against the manufacturers of these products (that likely knew of the dangers of their product) it's important that you contact a vaginal mesh lawyer capable of maximizing your settlement. One of the best way to do that is to seek an attorney who will not make you part of a class action lawsuit. That process will only make sure that your lawyer gets paid while very little goes to you, the victim. Your better option is to speak with a firm that will treat you as an individual and one that has a long history of winning complex cases.

5 Facts about Slimquick

Details: Created on Monday, 21 May 2012 14:24

Slimquick is marketed as a weight loss dietary supplement for women. The following are 5 key facts about Slimquick that the manufacturers don't want you to know about:

Slimquick, like other dietary supplements, is NOT regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Slimquick contains the chemical Hydroquinone – which in large doses is toxic and can damage the liver, even leading to liver disease.

The chemical compound Hydroquinone was tested on rats, mice, and rabbits to determine whether it was safe for human consumption.

Slimquick is not only NOT effective in many humans, it can dramatically increase your odds of developing kidney or liver disease.

Treatment for liver disease can exceed $50,000 a month. Hiring a lawyer will not be a choice for these individuals but a necessity. For this reason, it is imperative that you contact a highly qualified team of Slimquick Lawyers that have a long history of success and have recovered numerous multi-million dollar verdicts for their clients. Your life and quality of life are too important to leave in the hands of an inexperienced law firm.

The manufacturers of Slimquick may have been negligent in the testing of their 'weight-loss' product. For this reason, they need to be held responsible for any damages and injuries Slimquick has caused. Given our 30+ years of courtroom experience in extraordinarily complex litigation, we are confident that we can maximize financial compensation for your injuries. If you believe that Slimquick is responsible for your liver or kidney damage or liver disease, please contact us today for a free no-risk consultation. Additional information about the hidden dangers of Slimquick can be found here: Slimquick FAQs

Read This BEFORE Hiring a Vaginal Mesh Lawyer

Details: Created on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 14:24

Perhaps the most important thing to know when hiring a vaginal mesh lawyer is whether they intend to make you part of a class action. Hopefully the following (albeit overly simplified example) will make it clear for when a class action makes sense and when they should be avoided like the plague.

Intel (a manufacturer of semiconductors and micro-processors) allegedly made false claims about the speed of one of their processors. Basically they claimed their Celeron processor was speedier and more powerful than it actually was. And say 5,000,000 people bought these processors because of these claims. In this case a class action makes sense, as all consumers were disenfranchised fairly equally (no one individual was significantly hurt more than anyone else). A class action also makes sense in this case because it is not feasible for a judge to hear 5 million cases from individuals who all have the exact same complaint. For this and similar situations, a class action is the most efficient use of our legal system and attempts to give equal compensation to the affected consumers. Granted, the only people who made any significant money were the attorneys (in attorney fees) because the main pot of money had to be split 5 million ways.

Now in the case of vaginal mesh, there are clients/victims who have experienced minor irritation or mild discomfort from their vaginal mesh implant. Conversely, there are clients/victims who have had multiple surgeries, perforated bladders, ruined sex lives with their partners, and considerable pain, bleeding, and discomfort. Should these women be lumped into a class action lawsuit together? NO! It would be incredibly unfair to say that these women were both negatively but equally impacted by vaginal mesh and be given equal financial compensation. In this example, given the nature, difference, and severity of the injuries, these women must be treated as individuals and financially compensated quite differently.

This is one small example of what you need to know when looking for lawyer. For more tips on why you should hire a vaginal mesh lawyer (as well as how the process works and who you should hire), give us a call (1-877-455-6376) or send us an email. We are very passionate about helping women who have been injured by vaginal mesh and believe they should be treated and compensated as individuals.

Slimquick Lawsuits

Details: Created on Monday, 07 May 2012 14:24

When we learned that Slimquick was a probable cause of liver disease and liver damage we were immediately interested in finding out more. We quickly realized that there was validity to these claims and have set our sights to helping those who have been injured by these dangerous pills.

These weight loss pills, like all dietary supplements, are not subject to FDA approval. As such, some of the chemicals that go into these supplements are unapproved for human consumption and not thoroughly tested for safety. Slimquick provides a perfect example of this. The manufacturers determined that the chemical compound Hydroquinone led to a reduction in appetite and a reduction in weight, when tested on rats, mice, and rabbits. Nonetheless they added Hydroquinone to Slimquick. Unfortunately, it's been determined that not only does this chemical not always work in humans but it has also been linked to numerous cases of damaged or diseased livers and kidneys.

The Slimquick Lawyers at Cates Law are leaders in Slimquick lawsuits and Slimquick litigation. We were among the first to realize the dangers of Slimquick and to get the word out. Subsequently, we are also the first ones interested in helping anyone who may have already fallen victim to liver disease or liver damage from taking Slimquick.

Certainly, to make a strong case for you and help you recover the maximum compensation possible; those with pre-existing liver conditions would need to be excluded. For those with a previously healthy liver, who took Slimquick, and suffered liver damage, we are confident that we can help maximize your financial settlement. This will help in paying the potentially exorbitant medical bills associated with liver disease and will help compensate you for the pain that these pills have caused. If you believe that you have a Slimquick lawsuit, we can start working on your case immediately. We offer free consultations and you don't pay unless we collect, so there is never any risk to you.

Compensation for Vaginal Mesh

Details: Created on Thursday, 03 May 2012 14:24

Compensation for Women Injured from Vaginal Mesh

The first federal trials against vaginal mesh manufacturers are set to begin in early 2013. If you have been injured by one these dangerous products it is NOT too late to act. Many women are initially on the fence when they start to contemplate whether they wish to seek recovery against a large medical device manufacturer like Bard or Johnson & Johnson. They may think the whole process is overwhelming, or stressful, or time consuming, or anxiety producing, etc.

Consider the following:

First, the manufacturers of vaginal mesh were most likely negligent and put their company's profits ahead of your safety. You do not owe them any courtesy at this point but they do owe you for the pain that they caused. And while we can't change what they did or prevent any future pain or surgeries from occurring, we can likely get massive financial compensation for you to ease the burden.

Second, rest assured that when you are working with our professional staff with over 35 years of experience, we know how to make this process as comfortable on you as possible. You will actually find that there is nothing to be anxious about or reason to be stressed. In these cases, it's not difficult to prove that vaginal mesh was a dangerous and devastating product. We just have to prove that the manufacturers acted negligently when they chose to promote their product as a safe alternative method of repair. And we're quite confident we can not only do that, but do so in a way that maximizes your recovery.

We've recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients and are confident we can help you too.

We will make the process as stress-free as possible. And given our experience and success in complex litigation, we can maximize your financial compensation for the pain that you have been through. Finally, we are not interested in making you part of a class action lawsuit, as this takes money out of the pockets of those who deserve it most – our clients.

Does SilmQuick Cause Liver Damage?

Details: Created on Thursday, 26 April 2012 14:24

Does SilmQuick Cause Liver Damage?

Taking SlimQuick for an extended period of time will dramatically increase your risk of liver damage and liver disease. SlimQuick contains an ingredient called Hydroquinone that when taken in a large dose is toxic. This compound was tested on rats and did exhibit signs of weight loss. For this reason it was included as one of the primary 'weight-loss' ingredients in SlimQuick, in addition to caffeine. In humans, however, Hydroquinone was only sometimes effective in weight loss.

How SlimQuick Damages the Liver

One of the primary functions of the liver is to act as a filter for the body, cleaning harmful and dangerous chemicals out of the bloodstream. Since Hydroquinone is a toxic chemical, the filter (i.e. your liver) can only handle so many toxins before coming damaged or even diseased.

If you're considering taking dietary supplements as part of your workout plan please research each ingredient carefully. One of the most dangerous aspects of any dietary supplement is the lack of oversight and regulation from the FDA. SlimQuick is a perfect example of an unregulated supplement that is now linked to causing liver damage and liver disease as well as kidney disease.

Did SlimQuick Cause Your Liver Damage?

So if you’re asking yourself, did SlimQuick cause my liver disease or liver damage? The answer is that it very well may have. A lot will depend on whether you had any preexisting conditions with your liver, whether you took anything else that may be responsible for your damaged liver, how long you took SlimQuick for, age, etc.

If you believe that your liver has been damaged from SlimQuick contact your physician as soon as possible. Treatment for liver disease can be extremely expensive and your insurance won't pay out on it forever, no matter how good your coverage is. For this reason, your next call should be to the successful SlimQuick Lawyers at Cates Law. We have an extraordinary track record in this type of complex litigation and in recovering massive financial settlements for our clients. We will speak with you for free and can help you financially through this difficult time.

Belleville Vaginal Mesh Lawyer

Details: Created on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 14:24

Belleville Vaginal Mesh Lawyer

Cates Law is quickly becoming nationally recognized as the top firm for handling vaginal mesh cases. Our expertise and successful track record has gained the trust of women all over the country. By finding this page, you have already taken the first important step in learning more about what your options are and the best way to proceed.

Please see these incredibly helpful tips and questions to ask when looking for the best vaginal mesh lawyer.

For women who have been affected by vaginal mesh implants who live in or near Belleville, Illinois, we want you to know that just because we help women nationwide, we still care deeply about helping those in our own community.

The vaginal mesh lawyers at Cates Law will speak with you for free so that you can become as educated as possible on the subject. Whether you feel like seeking recovery for your injuries or not, there is no harm in learning how the process works and learning about specific deadlines and how they may affect these options.

Common Vaginal Mesh Complications

Vaginal mesh – particularly when implanted transvaginally – will lead to mild to serious complications about 10% of time at some point throughout the life of the implant. The most common of these complications that arise from pelvic mesh include: Mesh tearing through the vaginal walls, Erosion of the mesh material, Perforating nearby organs like the bladder, Pain during intercourse, Urinary tract problems, Infections, and Bleeding

Why Vaginal Mesh Cases are Not Your Typical Lawsuit

These unfortunate cases of vaginal mesh are not like most lawsuits you may be aware of. Oftentimes, when something goes wrong or one experiences unintended consequence, it is human nature to find someone or something to blame other than yourself – it's a coping mechanism. And often it's nobody's fault. In these mesh cases; however, the manufacturers of these mesh implants were most likely aware that the benefits did not outweigh the risks of alternate procedures but chose to use them anyway.

One reason they may have done this was because of the relaxed standards some of these medical devices are held to. Pelvic mesh is classified as a Class II medical device, meaning that it doesn't have to undergo very rigorous and expensive studies and testing, and is thus easier and cheaper to rush to market. If a medical device manufacturer is able to sell hundreds of thousands of mesh implants, they unfortunately don't care about a small percentage that will inevitably lead to lawsuits. In other words, this is factored into their business decision and as long as it makes financial and profitable sense, they are willing to sell a less-than-acceptably-safe product.

What Should I Do if I have been Negatively Impacted by a Pelvic Mesh Implant?

You should not be apprehensive about getting compensated for the pain they have caused you. You should not protect a company who chose profit and negligence over your safety. We are aware of many Belleville residents that have had this procedure done (perhaps even performed in St. Louis) that are likely experiencing discomfort or pain right now. No money or risk is ever required on your part and we always strive to make sure this process is as easy and stress-free as possible for you. Let us use our more than 30 years of courtroom experience and successful track record to get you the help and compensation you deserve.

Local Vaginal Mesh Cases

Details: Created on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 14:24

Vaginal Mesh is primarily used to repair pelvic organ prolapse. When muscle fibers and tissues in the pelvic floor weaken, most commonly from childbirth or hysterectomy, several noticeable side effects can occur, including pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, bladder and intestinal support, etc.

One method of repairing these weakened tissues is to implant synthetic supportive mesh. This procedure can be done through small incisions in the abdomen or transvaginally. Quite unfortunately, up to 10% of the women who have this procedure done transvaginally have experienced, or will experience, side effects from mild discomfort to severe pain, pain during intercourse, tearing, and bleeding.

The manufacturers of vaginal and pelvic mesh implants may have known that the risks did not outweigh the benefits of alternative methods of repair. These manufacturers profited from their negligence and your pain and they need to be held responsible.

If vaginal mesh has negatively impacted your life and you live in or around Belleville, the Metro East, or Greater St. Louis area, we would like to hear your story. Our vaginal mesh experts are compiling this data for two reasons. One, we've always been interested in protecting those in our community. This isn't to say we're not interested in helping all victims of negligence – we are. We would like to hear from you and can help you no matter where you live. But having the opportunity to help our closest neighbors is especially important to us. The more information, data, and statistics that we have with regards to how these procedures are being carried out in our community, the more we can educate future women if/when it comes time for them to undergo a similar or alternate surgery.

The second reason we are interested in hearing your story is that depending on the circumstances, we stand a very strong chance of making sure you are compensated for any pain and out of pocket medical expenses that you may have encountered. This is NOT a class action lawsuit. Class actions only make the attorneys rich and we believe the victims in these cases deserve the compensation.

If you are a resident of Southern Illinois or live in the Greater St. Louis area (which include St Louis, St Charles, St Clair, and Madison county as well as Illinois communities: Alton, Belleville, Carbondale, Collinsville, Edwardsville, O'Fallon, Swansea, and surrounding areas) we want to hear your story. You will be doing a huge service to your fellow neighbors and if you're interested, you may also be entitled to a massive financial settlement.

The Pelvic Floor

Details: Created on Tuesday, 13 March 2012 14:24

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The purpose of the pelvic floor is to provide support for the bladder, intestines, and uterus. In childbirth, it helps rotate and guide the fetus through the pelvic girdle. It assists in urinary continence.

Knowing this, it is clear why damage to the pelvic floor can lead to things like pelvic organ prolapse or incontinence. Pelvic organ prolapse refers to the protrusion of one of the pelvic organs (i.e. uterus, vagina, or bladder) through the outside of the vagina.

How does the Pelvic Floor become damaged?

The pelvic floor consists of muscle fibers and connective tissues underneath the pelvis. These muscles and tissues can become damaged during a hysterectomy, more commonly in childbirth, and less commonly in repetitious sports such as cycling or horse riding.

Once damaged, many of the aforementioned functions of the pelvic floor become compromised. Support for bladder, intestines, and uterus can weaken or fail and urinary incontinence can occur.

How can the Pelvic Floor be repaired?

Pelvic floor exercises such as kegels can repair or reduce symptoms of minor pelvic organ prolapse. For more severe cases, a plastic ring can be placed inside of the vagina to prevent loose skin from shifting. This procedure is called a vaginal pessary but does not work for everyone. Another method for more severe cases includes laparoscopic surgery – where the pelvic floor can be surgically repaired through tiny incisions in the abdomen. Finally, and when urinary incontinence is a problem, the bladder can be surgically lifted in a procedure known as burch colposuspension.

What about Pelvic or Vaginal Mesh?

Pelvic Mesh (also known as vaginal mesh or transvaginal mesh) has worked for many patients, especially those who have this procedure done abdominally. However, for those that have this procedure done transvaginally, up to 10% of women have or will experience serious problems including:

Erosion and protrusion of the mesh from surrounding tissues
Infections in the area of the mesh implant
Pain (including pain during intercourse)
Bleeding around mesh implant
Urinary tract problems
Additional injury to nearby organs

What can I do?

If you are considering treatments it is best to have your specialized physician discuss all of your options with you. If you have, or currently are suffering from a pelvic mesh implant, you may be interested to learn that the manufacturers of these devices likely knew that the risks didn’t justify the benefits over safer repair methods. As terrible as that sounds, there is something you can do to fight back. With your help, we can not only help you get compensated for your pain and medical procedures, but we can help in preventing future women from enduring this same painful experience.

Long Lasting Sexual Side Effects of Propecia

Details: Created on Monday, 05 March 2012 14:24

It is a widely held belief that if one begins taking Propecia and they experience side effects, such as gynecomastia, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, impotence, etc., they can simply stop taking the medication and everything goes back to normal. Unfortunately this is often not the case.

As far back as 2008, Merck changed their labeling in Sweden to include the following statement: “In addition, the following have been reported in post-marketing use: persistence of erectile dysfunction after discontinuation of treatment.” Are we to believe, Merck, that only Swedes may experience persistent sexual side effects? Why would this warning not be provided internationally?

It actually gets worse.

Over the next two years (2009-2010) Merck changed their Propecia labeling in other foreign markets including England and Italy, to include statements about persistent sexual side effects, and even male breast cancer. What is astonishing is that Merck made no such labeling changes in the United States!

This is the exact reason why we at Cates Law are aggressively pursuing this matter. There was clear negligence on the part of Merck to fully disclose known long-term sexual side effects of their hair loss drug, Propecia. We know that the best way to discourage large drug manufacturers from similar behavior in the future, is to hit them where it hurts – their bottom line.

We were one of the first to report when Merck shut down their Propecia website. While this might not be an outright admission of guilt it sure isn’t the behavior of someone with nothing to hide.

Cates Law has been awarded some of the largest verdicts of their kind. Please contact us today to discuss your options. As always, there is no obligation and it is completely free of charge.

Choosing the Best Vaginal Mesh Lawyer

Details: Created on Wednesday, 15 February 2012 14:24

The following tips should help you succeed in finding the best vaginal mesh lawyer for your situation. If a lawyer tells you that they are the 'best' in vaginal mesh litigation, they are lying, because the first trials will not even take place until November 2012. So how can you possibly know which lawyer is best for you?

Are they planning on making you part of a class action lawsuit?

The Vaginal Mesh Lawyers at Cates Law will NOT make you part of a class action. While, sure, that would make us a ton of money, we don't like the tradeoff. It leaves the actual victims (the ones that deserve compensation) woefully undercompensated.

What is their track record in similar complex cases?

We have an impeccable track record in complex litigation. We have been awarded multiple record breaking verdicts in similar areas of practice.

Do they require money upfront to represent you?

We require NO money upfront as this could get expensive for the client – especially if, for example, expert witnesses (doctors, surgeons, etc) are required to testify.

Do they offer a free consultation?

The Vaginal Mesh Lawyers at Cates Law offer free consultations. This is important because first, we need to determine if we think you have a case. And second, you need to determine what course of action will make you the most comfortable. We can help you better understand all of your options.

Will you be required to travel?

Under most circumstances, no travel whatsoever will be required on your part. In some instances we may find that it is most beneficial to you to bring your case to a jurisdiction that is different from the one you live.

How much of a burden will the entire process be on you, the victim, who has already been through enough?

Victims of vaginal and pelvic mesh implants have already usually been through a lot of physical and emotional pain. Our goal is to minimize the agony of this terrible process. Let us deal with the stress.

For more information or answers to any additional questions you may have, contact our Vaginal Mesh Lawyers today.

PradaxaLaw.com

Details: Created on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 14:24

We are pleased to announce the launch of Pradaxa Law. We are bringing our 30 years of success in the courtroom to PradaxaLaw.com to help those victimized by the drug Pradaxa. Pradaxa is prescribed to patients as a blood thinner to help prevent against stroke.

Consequently, this drug can also cause massive internal bleeding and has led to several fatalities. If you or a loved one has been injured or died as a possible result of taking Pradaxa, let the experience and success of our Pradaxa Lawyers help you through this difficult time.

Congress Now Involved with Vaginal Mesh

Details: Created on Tuesday, 07 February 2012 14:24

Democrats are calling for a congressional hearing for pelvic mesh and transvaginal mesh products manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and C.R. Bard. Henry Waxman, a Democratic Representative form California led the committee to hold the hearing, demanding documentation from the manufacturers.

As we reported recently, the FDA has required cooperation from all pelvic mesh manufacturers to submit thousands of pages of documents as well as request numerous studies and surgeon reports.

Democrats have acknowledged the abnormally high rate of complications from these pelvic mesh products and are determined to learn more about why there are so many negative reports.

Both Democrats and Republicans are in agreement that some amount of overhaul is necessary with regards to how the FDA rules on medical devices. Currently, if a product is deemed a Class II product, which vaginal mesh currently is, it does not need to undergo the same rigorous series of random trials as Class III products do, to prove its safety and effectiveness. Pelvic mesh has demonstrated one of two things: (1) it either needs to be classified as Class II or (2) Class II medical devices need to undergo much more scrutiny before they are allowed into the marketplace.

Pelvic Mesh Lawyers have done, and continue to do, an incredible job holding pelvic mesh manufacturers' feet to the fire. Many law firms do a great service to the marketplace to ensure that due diligence is being done. A large medical device company experiences the same pressures as all publicly trading companies – grow revenues, cut costs, and ultimately increase shareholder value. Sometimes this is done by rushing products to market, skimping on the testing of a products safety and effectiveness, cutting corners, etc.

The Vaginal Mesh Lawyers at Cates Law Firm are dedicated to making sure that these companies are held responsible when they slip up and put profits ahead of patient safety. It is our primary goal to compensate the victims of negligent behavior and to deter similar behaviors from taking place in the future. If you have experienced any negative side effects from a transvaginally implanted mesh product, contact us for free to learn about what options are available to you. There is no obligation whatsoever, so contact us today to learn more.

Finasteride and Pregnancy

Details: Created on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 14:24

The FDA has assigned Finasteride (Propecia) to pregnancy category X. This means that woman, primarily those of child bearing age or those trying to become pregnant should not come into any contact whatsoever with this drug. Even handling a broken Propecia pill can allow finasteride to be absorbed through the skin. With regards to breastfeeding, it is still unknown, and thus it is not recommended for woman who take finasteride to breastfeed.

Pregnancy category X drugs can cause birth defects in unborn babies. Specifically, and according to the Propecia packaging, "“Because of the ability of Type II 5-alpha reductase inhibitors to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT, finasteride may cause abnormalities of the external genitalia of a male fetus of a pregnant woman who receives finasteride." For more information on how 5-alpha reductase inhibitors work (in layman's terms): Understanding the Side Effects of Propecia

Another important piece of information that is rarely mentioned: males who are taking Propecia should wear condoms during intercourse with a woman who is or can get pregnant, as finasteride exists in semen and can pose a risk to the fetus. For those couples attempting to conceive, the use of Finasteride (Propecia) should be immediately discontinued.

The most common side effects for male patients of Propecia continues to be Erectile Dysfunction, Abnormal Sexual Function, Impotence, Ejaculation disorder, Decrease in ejaculatory volume, Lower sex drive (decreased libido), Breast or Prostate Cancer, and Male breast growth (gynecomastia); however, the list of less common side effects is much longer. The manufacturer of Propecia (Merck) allegedly knew about many of the long term side effects of their drug but did not disclose this information.

There may be substantial financial compensation available to those who have experienced negative side effects from this drug. Our Propecia Lawyers have been awarded some of the largest verdicts in US history and when it comes to this type of litigation there is too much at stake to go with anyone but the best. Cates Law will not make you part of a class action lawsuit and they have the resources to start working on your case immediately.

Makena – A Better Alternative to Terbutaline

Details: Created on Wednesday, 18 January 2012 14:24

The FDA has recently approved a new drug called Makena to reduce or stop premature labor contractions. This comes on the heels of the FDA issuing a very strong warning against the preterm labor drug Terbutaline. Using Terbutaline to delay or stop preterm labor is an off-label use of Terbutaline, as its primary use is for the treatment of asthmatic conditions.

The FDA specifically warns against pregnant women using injectable Terbutaline for more than 48-72 hours to delay or stop their premature labor. Oral Terbutaline, the FDA warning continues, should not be used at all for this purpose, as there is no evidence that it is effective and it raises similar safety concerns. The safety risks that prompted these FDA warnings extend to both the mother and unborn child. They include lung and heart problems for the mother and birth defects in unborn children, including but not limited to speech defects, autism, cognitive difficulties, autism, and increased risk of brain damage.

Makena, while still a new drug, is at least FDA approved for the explicit purpose of lowering the risk of preterm births, whereas Terbutaline is not.

Makena is a synthetic form of progesterone and is manufactured by KV Pharmaceuticals at a cost of $1,500 a shot. Fortunately KV has a patient assistance program to make it more affordable. For women who are uninsured the drug can be administered for free if their annual household income is less than $60k. Uninsured women with household income between $60k and $100k would be able to receive the drug for the cost of co-pay. And insured woman, if they apply for assistance, and their income is less than $100k, can receive Makena for around $20.

While it may be too early to know if Makena is safe, it is currently a safer alternative to Terbutaline, according to statements by the FDA, and should be discussed with your doctor if you are at risk of preterm labor. If you or your child has experienced any negative side effects from Terbutaline you may have limited time to seek recovery. Genentech, the manufacturer or Terbutaline may have known that this drug, when used to stop or delay preterm labor, increase risk to the patient while not offering any significant benefits over alternative methods. For more free information about what options are available to you, contact the Terbutaline Claims Center today. They have a knowledgeable staff and are dedicated to helping you and your family receive financial compensation for your suffering and to prevent any future families from enduring similar hardships.

Avastin Not Safe / Not Effective in Breast Cancer Patients

Details: Created on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 14:24

When the FDA revoked the approval of Avastin (Nov 2011) as a treatment to breast cancer, it evoked a lot of very sensitive and emotional reactions. Several stories were made public of individuals who were fortunate in beating cancer and erroneously credited Avastin in their fight against cancer. They were upset with 'government regulation' for pulling a drug just because of some 'side effects'.

Well, naturally, when people are fighting for their lives they want access to anything and everything that has a chance of saving their life. It is important to note though, that the FDA's decision didn't come lightly and only on the back of several clinical studies and thousands of submitted pages of studies, opinions, and trial clinical data.

Just because someone beat cancer and happened to take Avastin, does not mean that Avastin played a role in beating the cancer. Hence the need for clinical trials – to settle the matter based on facts backed up by scientific studies.

The clinical trials led the FDA to two main conclusions:

Avastin has no overall benefit. And that the side effects outweigh the benefits – meaning that the side effects are more harmful to the patient than the cancer itself.

They further went on to say that "Avastin will neither help [breast cancer patients] live longer or improve their quality of life."

Contradictory studies that you may have seen or read were likely performed by Genentech, the manufacturer of Avastin, who has a significant financial incentive toward the outcome. The FDA has no perverse incentives toward the outcome of their clinical trials, only the health and safety of potential users of this drug.

Obviously and understandably, when faced with a life threatening illness it is natural to want something to work or be willing to 'try anything'. But in the case of Avastin, the risks simply do not outweigh the benefits. If you have been negatively impacted by Avastin, you are going to need a specialized law firm with an impeccable track record of success with this type of litigation. The Avastin Lawyers at Cates Law have been awarded some of the largest verdicts in US history. Cates Law will not make you part of a class action lawsuit and they have the resources to start working on your case immediately.

Pelvic Mesh - FDA Urges Reclassification

Details: Created on Wednesday, 11 January 2012 14:24

Last week the FDA announced that they are considering the recommendation to reclassify pelvic mesh from Class 2 to Class 3, when used transvaginally to repair pelvic organ prolapse. The FDA only has the ability to 'recommend' this reclassification as they have appointed an advisory committee – the Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee – to oversee the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal surgical mesh products.

The implications of this reclassification are as follows: Class 3 devices are required by the FDA to pass a series of random clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of the product. Class 2 products have much more leniency in their approval process and are not required to pass such stringent tests.

Back in September 2011, this same advisory committee determined that the above recommended reclassification is unnecessary, even though they found plenty of supporting evidence acknowledging the risks involved with these mesh devices. While the committee decided there wasn't enough evidence at that time for a reclassification, the FDA is now asking them to take another look. Up to 10% of the women that have received pelvic mesh implants transvaginally will experience some level of complication.

The FDA concluded in their 01/04/2012 statement:

The manufacturers will be required to submit study plans to the FDA that address specific safety and effectiveness concerns related to surgical mesh devices for POP and single-incision mini-sling devices for SUI. Data from the studies will enable the agency to better understand the safety and effectiveness profiles of these devices. Read more.

Some steps that the FDA and their appointed advisory committee are taking to gauge the safety and efficacy of pelvic mesh will include many post-market studies required to be submitted by manufacturers of these devices. They will also study all available literature on the matter as well as collaborate with medical professionals.

The most common side effects include perforation/tearing of the mesh through the vaginal walls and/or internal organs, pain during intercourse, bleeding, and incontinence.

If you have experienced any negative side effects from pelvic or surgical mesh, implanted transvaginally, you may have limited time to seek recovery. Manufacturers of these devices may have known that their mesh products, when used in this manner, increase risk to the patient while not offering any significant benefits over alternative methods of treatment. For more free information about what options are available to you, contact one of our qualified pelvic mesh experts today or watch our most recent 'as seen on television', nationally publicized alert.