Clients, friends, and colleagues: We trust you’re keeping healthy and staying safe. We know these are trying times, with so many businesses, schools, and every day activities shut down. Continued and uninterrupted representation of our clients is of paramount importance to us at Pintas & Mullins. We are one of the most technologically-advanced law firms …
91 Year Old Nursing Home Resident Abused by Caretaker
Security footage at Advantage Living Center in Warren, Michigan showed an employee shoving a 91-year-old resident into her wheelchair, grabbing her by the neck, and continuously pushing her head down until it struck the counter in front of her. The abuser carefully placed a band aid on her forehead in an attempt to cover the …
Finding the Right Nursing Home for Your Loved One
When looking to place your loved one in a nursing home, do your research to make sure the home you choose is a good fit. The Nursing Home Reform Act is a guideline nursing homes follow in order to receive funding for Medicare and Medicaid services. The Act gives residents the right to their: Freedom …
Boy Scouts of America Files for Bankruptcy
Participation in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been widely recognized as a beloved tradition and badge of honor since its beginning in 1910. Despite its positive reputation, thousands of previous Boy Scout members have filed sexual abuse lawsuits against the organization. The Boy Scouts recently filed for bankruptcy due to the significant number …
Should You Get Screened for Ovarian Cancer?
1.3% of women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in their lifetimes. Even though this rate is low, ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, with over 14,000 deaths each year. This is because ovarian cancer can go easily undetected, causing it to spread throughout the pelvis and stomach …
Breast Implants Recalled After Cases of Cancer, Death
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that Allergan, a pharmaceutical company, recall its BIOCELL textured breast implants in July 2019. These implants are linked to an increased risk of a cancer known as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL. A full list of the recalled implants and tissue expanders can be found …
The Disturbing History of Roundup’s Rise and Fall
After decades of profiting from Roundup as the world’s most widely-used Herbicide, Monsanto now faces a reckoning of its bad business practices. We now know, from the Roundup lawsuits going to trial, about the unethical strategies Monsanto executives used to get Roundup in every home, lawn, and farm. In 2015, an international agency declared the chemical …
New Treatment May Offer Hope to Mesothelioma Victims
A new, non-invasive cancer treatment has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NovoTTF-100L is the first treatment in more than 15 years to be approved by the FDA for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). MPM is an aggressive form of cancer which cannot be surgically removed and has spread either outside the organ …
Is a Roundup Settlement in the Works?
Several media outlets are reporting that Bayer – the parent company of Monsanto – is offering an $8 billion deal to settle more than 18,000 lawsuits. The lawsuits claim that exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and its active ingredient, glyphosate, is responsible for causing the plaintiffs’ non-Hodgkin lymphoma or other forms of cancer. Glyphosate, which …
Preventable Harm in Hospitals Results in 1,000 Deaths Daily
About one in every 20 hospital patients will be affected by “preventable harm” – defined as unintended physical injury caused by medical care that requires additional treatment or hospitalization – according to a new study conducted by the renowned British Medical Journal. Preventable harm is believed to account for as many as 1,000 deaths each day. …
Bayer Looks to Replace Roundup Weed Killer as Lawsuits Continue to Mount
As cancer lawsuits against Roundup weed killer continue to make headlines, Bayer – which became Roundup’s owner when it bought Monsanto a year ago – has announced plans to invest more than $5.6 billion over the next decade to develop new methods to combat weeds. Bayer’s announcement comes as the company attempts to deal with competing deadlines …
Nursing Home Chain Collapses, Leaving Residents in the Cold
A recent NBC News investigative report shined a spotlight on Skyline Healthcare – a chain of nursing homes that at its height operated more than 100 nursing facilities in 11 states, overseeing the care of more than 7,000 elderly Americans. Over the past two years, Skyline Healthcare’s nursing home empire crumbled, throwing residents, vendors, employees, and …
States Sue EPA to Demand Tighter Asbestos Rules Governing
Ten U.S. states and the District of Columbia recently sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demanding stiffer rules governing the use of asbestos to reduce the public health risks. The lawsuit was filed after the EPA refused to collect more data on asbestos. The states believe this denial was arbitrary and violated the EPA’s obligations …
Another Religious Order Provides List of Sex Abusers
The Baltimore-based Xaverian Brothers recently released a list of 34 members who have been accused of sexually abusing children. The list includes two men with “a credible or established offense against a minor” who are currently members of the religious order; 18 deceased or former Xaverian Brothers with “a credible or established offense;” and 14 other …
Report Faults Medicare for Hospice Conditions, Care
A patient whose pressure ulcers developed gangrene, resulting in amputation. A maggot infestation where a feeding tube entered a patient’s abdomen. A patient whose injuries from a sexual assault were missed and only discovered at a hospital. These are just a few of the most severe cases cited in a new report on hospice care in America. But …
Emissions from Another Chicago Company Linked to Cancer
Like the recently closed Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, another Chicago area medical supply company appears to be using cancer-causing ethylene oxide (EtO) as a sterilization method for its products. An air toxics study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that ethylene oxide emissions from the Medline Industries facility in Waukegan are responsible …
Sexual Abuse Hits College Campuses
Sexual abuse by clergy. Sexual attacks on seniors in nursing homes. Sexual assaults on children by their own parents. If you follow the news, you know that sexual abuse cases are everywhere. And now, this terrible trend has made its way onto college campuses. In recent weeks alone, two cases of sexual abuse by university …
Do Bishops’ New Sex Abuse Rules Go Far Enough?
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded its spring meeting in Baltimore by passing three major policies, each of which is designed to address their own accountability in sex abuse cases. While the bishops celebrated the new policies as a major achievement, many within the Catholic Church believe these rules don’t go far enough because …
Johnson & Johnson Loses Again Over Asbestos in Its Talc Products
A woman suffering from mesothelioma has been awarded $325 million in punitive and compensatory damages by a New York jury. The woman charged that her mesothelioma, an aggressive form of asbestos-related cancer, is the result of decades of daily use of two Johnson & Johnson products, Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. The jury rejected Johnson …
Ohio Governor Pushes to Strengthen Sexual Assault Laws
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently called on lawmakers to either extend or eliminate the statute of limitations on sex crimes in the state. He also urged legislators to strengthen sexual assault laws applied to people in power positions over their victims. The Governor’s comments came in the wake of Ohio State University’s report on the sexual abuse …
Burn Victims Sue Over Exploding Cooking Spray Cans
The maker of Pam cooking spray, Conagra Brands, is being sued by eight burn victims, all of whom were severely injured when cans of the cooking spray exploded in their kitchens. In one case, a victim said the fire produced by the exploding can was so intense that it melted her contact lens onto her …
“Nursing Home Nightmares” Offers Insights into Protecting Your Loved Ones
Putting a loved one in a nursing home can be one of the most gut-wrenching decisions a family can ever make. And once that decision is made, what do you do if you suspect there may be a problem with the level of care the nursing home is providing to your loved one? Recognizing how …
Nursing Home Rating System Gets an Upgrade
Nursing homes around the country have received new ratings from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency which administers Medicare and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid. Last month, CMS changed its inspection process and the Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes nationwide. The revisions, which now provide …
Boy Scouts Face Flood of Lawsuits
Amid mounting pressures, the Boy Scouts of America has hinted that the organization may consider bankruptcy to protect it from a flood of lawsuits. The suits come in the wake of recent research which shows that as many as 12,200 current and former Scouts have been abused by 7,819 troop leaders and other volunteers. Shockingly, even …
Lung Cancer Among Non-Smokers Is on the Rise
For years, we’ve been hearing about the link between smoking and lung cancer. But the sad truth is that lung cancer in non-smokers is much more common than people realize. In fact, lung cancer in those who have never smoked is now the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. According to …