Expert testimony by a researcher who has been working with the Boy Scouts of America reveals that there may have been as many as 7,819 sexually abusive troop leaders and volunteers in the organization since the 1940s. According to newly released court documents, expert testimony delivered by Dr. Janet Warren – a child sex abuse researcher hired by …
FDA Halts Sale of Pelvic Mesh Tied to Women’s Injuries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered two manufacturers to immediately stop selling a type of surgical mesh used to repair pelvic collapse in women. The order comes on the heels of tens of thousands of lawsuits – including numerous cases brought by clients of Pintas & Mullins – charging that the mesh …
Prize Winning Story Sheds Light on Sexual Assault Issue
The Los Angeles Times recently won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for its series of stories on a former gynecologist at the University of Southern California (USC) accused of sexually abusing hundreds of students at a campus clinic over nearly three decades. While the newspaper articles recognize an extraordinary piece of journalism, they also shed …
Judge Orders Bayer to Pursue Talks in Roundup Lawsuits
While Bayer – the manufacturer of Roundup weed killer – has stated publicly that it has no intention of settling thousands of lawsuits charging that its product causes cancer, the company is now being forced to try. After canceling a trial scheduled for May 20, 2019, that would have followed a recent $80 million verdict against …
Pope’s New Guidelines on Sexual Abuse by Priests Have No Impact on U.S. Churches
Pope Francis has issued a new decree which requires Vatican City officials or diplomats around the world to immediately report allegations of sexual abuse by priests or others, or face possible jail time. The Pope’s edict comes on the heels of an international summit of church leaders held in February to address abuse of minors …
J&J Focused Baby Powder Pitches on Minority, Overweight Women
In the summer of 2018, Krystal Kim, a 53-year-old African-American woman, was one of the plaintiffs in a successful lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J). The jury in that trial awarded $4.69 billion to Kim and 21 others – all of whom are suffering from ovarian cancer or mesothelioma which they believe was …
Sex Offenders Living in Nursing Homes
When Mary (name changed for confidentiality) moved into a nursing home following a stroke, she didn’t know that two of her fellow residents were registered sex offenders. That’s because most states don’t have a law that requires background checks to be completed or notice to be given to nursing home residents and staff. According to …
Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer Kills Thousands Each Year
More than 6,000 Americans die from asbestos-related lung cancer every year. Medical researchers first made the connection between asbestos exposure and lung cancer in 1935. Since then, study after study has shown the same link, which typically occurs when a person breathes in asbestos fibers, some of which become lodged in the individual’s lungs. Over …
Research Brings New Hope for Mesothelioma Patients
In New York, the family of a merchant marine who died of malignant mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos has won the right to sue Chevron. In New Jersey, a man suffering malignant mesothelioma is suing Johnson & Johnson for failing to keep their talc-based baby powder – which he regularly used – from being …
Jury Decision Links Roundup Weed Killer to Cancer
A San Francisco jury has ruled that Roundup, the world’s most widely used weed killer, was likely responsible for causing 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman’s cancer. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health organization, in 2015. The suit …
Use of Hernia Mesh Could Result in Complications, Severe Injuries
Every year, doctors across the U.S. perform more than a million hernia repair surgeries. And since the 1990s, the use of a surgical mesh to strengthen a repair and prevent the hernia from recurring has become the standard of care. Unfortunately, while use of a hernia mesh may have benefits, it also has the potential …
Ethiopian Airlines Crash Eerily Similar to Earlier Air Disaster
News that Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 had crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people, had barely begun to sink in when stories started to emerge that the crash was eerily similar to a Lion Air disaster that occurred last October in Indonesia. The planes in both crashes were Boeing’s brand new 737 Max jets. Pilots, engineers, …
Feds Warn Public Not to Use Makeup Containing Talc
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert, warning consumers not to use three cosmetics sold by Claire’s stores which tested positive for asbestos. The alert warns that Claire’s eye shadows, contour palette, and compact powder contain talcum powder, commonly called talc. Talc is often linked to and contaminated by asbestos, …
Data Confirms Most Nursing Homes are Understaffed
For years, there have been suspicions that staffing levels at nursing homes are inadequate. But it wasn’t until 2018 that federal data was able to prove that most nursing homes nationally had far fewer nurses and caretaking staff than they reported to the government. The data also showed changes in day-to-day staffing levels, with particularly high …
Supporting Sexual Abuse Survivors
Recently, sexual abuse seems to be dominating the headlines, from sexual assaults by members of the clergy to abuse in long-term care facilities. While this coverage may be shining a spotlight on an issue that has been covered up or, worse, ignored for far too long, it’s often not easy for survivors of sexual abuse …
16 States Open Investigations into Sexual Abuse by Clergy
Pope Francis’ recent summit on sexual abuse ended in much the same way as it began: offering reasons for hope and promising change, but failing to outline concrete policies for dealing with the issue. Against this backdrop, investigations of priests sexually abusing minors – and the bishops who ignored or covered up their actions – …
Feds Investigate Claims Linking Talcum Powder Products to Cancer
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is in the news again for all of the wrong reasons. The pharmaceutical giant has been told by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hand over documents linked to claims that the company’s talcum powder products have been contaminated with asbestos. The SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), …
Nurses Indicted in Ohio Elderly Neglect Case
Seven nurses who previously worked at an Ohio nursing home have been accused of mistreating two patients, including a man who “literally rotted to death,” according to the state’s Attorney General. The defendants were indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and patient neglect after one patient in their care developed wounds on his body that became …
EPA Closes Plant Producing Cancer-Causing Emissions
The controversial Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook has been shut down. The shutdown comes after the release of new air quality numbers and renewed calls for the plant’s to be closed from government officials and area residents – many of whom are suffering from cancer. The Illinois EPA (IEPA) recently conducted new tests on air quality …
Phoenix Case Shines Spotlight on Sexual Assault in Long-Term Care Facilities
The nation was horrified earlier this year when a story broke about a woman who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade giving birth to a baby boy. The incident sparked immediate investigations not only into the sexual assault of the woman, but also into how her caretakers at a Phoenix healthcare …
Cancer Link Grows Stronger Against Sterigenics
New testing conducted by the EPA indicates that there were higher levels of a cancer-causing gas near the Sterigenics plant than previously imagined. The plant is located in Willowbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. “The citizens of DuPage County should not have to endure this exposure to a known human carcinogen,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame …
Nursing Home Neglect: An All-Too-Common Problem
A recent article in the Naples (FL) Daily News recounts the sad story of York Spratling, an 84-year-old veteran and resident of a nursing home operated by Consulate Health Care of Jacksonville. According to the story, Mr. Spratling passed away in February 2017 after being taken to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for …
Is Johnson & Johnson to Blame for Your Ovarian Cancer?
Johnson & Johnson is facing nearly 12,000 lawsuits from individuals who claim their cancers were caused by the company’s powder products. These cases include suits from thousands of women who charge that Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products caused their ovarian cancer. Looking back over nearly 50 years, it appears that while Johnson & Johnson …
How to Know If Your Parent Is Receiving Quality Care in a Nursing Home
Poor care in a nursing home or other assisted-living facilities often has devastating consequences. Tens of thousands of nursing home residents are victims of abuse or neglect every year. This is unacceptable and avoidable. In order to prevent harm, we have to understand why it happens: Lax hiring practices Understaffing Inadequate training Lack of resources …
Tasigna Users: You May Be at Risk for Atherosclerosis
Tasigna is a chemotherapy drug prescribed to people with a certain type of blood cancer called Philadelphia Chromosome Positive (Ph+) Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Ph+CML is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, during which the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells. These extra cells are often damaged and can overwhelm healthy …