lawsuit 4528 articles

A whistleblower lawsuit accusing a Los Angeles-based hospital group of engaging in unlawful financial arrangements has led to an $8.1 million settlement with the U.S. Government. Avanti Hospitals LLC and six of its owners agreed to pay the U.S. $8.1 million to settle whistleblower allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Physician Self-Referral Law (also known as the Stark Law), and the False Claims Act. The lawsuit, filed by Dr. Joshua Luke, the former CEO of Gardena Hospital, alleged that Avanti, Gardena Hospital, and at least two other Avanti affiliates bribed a high-referring physician with payments that exceeded the ... Read More

The medical community has known since 1922 that inhaling talcum powder can lead to the lung disease talcosis and could even asphyxiate babies, yet Johnson & Johnson never warned consumers of its other talc-containing products of this risk. Instead, even after learning that asbestos was found in the talc it used, the company marketed its talcum products as “pure,” even adding fragrances to make the products more attractive to buyers, an epidemiologist testified to California jurors in the case of a woman suing J&J. Dr. David S. Egilman told jurors that his opinions are based on an analysis of the ... Read More

The first trial alleging a talcum powder product was contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos and caused a woman’s fatal mesothelioma is scheduled to begin this week in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. But instead of Johnson & Johnson in the hot seat, Colgate-Palmolive Co. will be defending the case. The trial involves the case of Sally Brandt, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in November 2015. She and her husband filed a lawsuit a month later alleging she was exposed to the carcinogenic mineral through years of using Colgate-Palmolive’s Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder. Brandt has since passed away. Brandt’s trial ... Read More

Walgreens Boots Alliance, the holding company that owns the controlling shares of Walgreens Drug Stores and several other health care companies, will pay $269.2 million to settle two separate whistleblower lawsuits. In one case, Walgreens agreed to pay $209.2 million to settle allegations that it fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health care programs for hundreds of thousands of insulin pens that beneficiaries did not need. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Walgreens configured its electronic systems so that its pharmacists couldn’t dispense less than a full box of five insulin pens, ... Read More

The parents of a Florida teen who died in a fiery high-speed crash in a Tesla Model S last May are suing the automaker, alleging a Tesla service technician removed a speed limiter device without their consent. Edgar Monserratt and Esperanza Martinez, the parents of 18-year-old Edgar Monserratt Martinez, claim the speed limiter could have prevented the deadly crash. The driver, 18-year-old Barrett Riley, also died in the crash. According to the lawsuit, Barrett Riley’s parents had a speed limiter installed on the Tesla Model S that prevented the car from going over 85 mph. They had the speed limiter ... Read More

The island country of Sri Lanka has halted imports of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products until the company can prove that its talc-containing products are not contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos. The news comes just weeks after federal authorities in neighboring India collected samples of talcum powder from two India-based Johnson & Johnson facilities to test for asbestos. That inspection was initiated after a Reuters investigation uncovered documents that showed Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that the talc it used in its products contained asbestos. The company never informed federal authorities in the U.S., nor did it warn consumers ... Read More

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in anticipation of a tidal wave of litigation stemming from the Nov. 8 Camp Fire, which destroyed an entire town and killed 86 people. Bankruptcy court filings show that PG&E’s liabilities after the Camp Fire – the largest wildfire in the state’s history – have topped $50 billion while the utility’s assets are valued at about $71 billion, according to The Washington Post. The bankruptcy announcement has riled people throughout the state, including investors, government officials, and the general public. Likely to suffer most from the filing are the ... Read More

An Aurora, Illinois man dubbed “the most powerful coach in youth volleyball,” by sports network ESPN is now the center of a potential multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit alleging the coach raped and sexually abused underaged players, the Cook County Record reported. The club volleyball program he was affiliated with is also named in the lawsuit for not protecting athletes from the coach. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, green-lighted the request from plaintiff Laura Mullen to certify the class against coach Rick Butler, the Great Lakes Volleyball Center, and Butler’s Sports Performance Volleyball Club. The class could grow into the ... Read More

Johnson & Johnson employees who trusted the company with their retirement savings by investing in the company’s stock are suing the consumer health care giant. They accuse the company of overvaluing its stocks while hiding the fact that its talcum powder products contained cancer causing asbestos, according to a proposed class action complaint filed in New Jersey federal court, Law360 reported. Lead plaintiff Michael Perrone claims that J&J and some of its senior executives violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by failing to act in the best interest of their retirement plans because they knew for decades that ... Read More

Four men have accused Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer of sexually assaulting them in California between 1997 and 1999, when they were underage, The Atlantic reported. Writers Alex French and Maximillian Potter spent 12 months investigating the claims of the four men, speaking to more than 50 sources about allegations of sexual assault and abuse of underage boys at lavish parties Singer threw. Singer’s attorney denies his client ever had sex with or any interest in underage men. According to the report, one of the boys, Victor Valdovinos, claims when he was 13 and working as an extra on Singer’s ... Read More