Tennessee Injury Lawyer Blog

In Tennessee and all across the United States, when people go into work they expect their work environment to be a clean and safe environment for them to work in. However, this is not always the case. Some workplaces have their employees working around and breathing in dangerous substances such as asbestos which can lead to serious health problems and cancer. If you or someone you love has been exposed to asbestos while at your work place and then been diagnosed with cancer because of it, you should speak to a Tennessee asbestos lawyer right away. They will hear your case and work with you to make sure you get the compensation you need.

In this case, Leopold Granier Jr., was exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the negligence of Avondale Shipyards, Cajun Insulation and Union Carbide Corp. As well as awarding Granier 1.5 million in general damages, the jury also found that Avondale Shipyards, Cajun Insulation and Union Carbide Corp., were truly liable and that the products in their possession were found to be a "substantial and contributing cause" of Granier’s diagnoses.

The jury found Union Carbide Corporation especially liable because asbestos materials were integrated into the company’s plant where Granier worked and contributed to his cancer.
As well as the awarded 1.5 million in general damages, Granier also was awarded $104,160.77 in special damages. Avondale, which was acquired by Northrop Grumman Corp, is scheduled to close in 2013. The Corporation announced this decision due to the Navy’s reduced order of new warships from the company. The shipyard was once the largest employer in the state and had more than two thousand employees.

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In Tennessee and all across the United States, when we go to the doctor we expect that they will make us feel better and not put us in harm’s way. Unfortunately, in some situations this does not happen. If you feel that you or someone you love has been injured due to the carelessness of a medical professional, you should talk to a Tennessee personal injury and wrongful death lawyer right away. They will work with you to make sure you receive the compensation you are entitled to by law.

According to this case, the parents of Riley Russo and Ryan Winter claim that their sons both died last year at age twenty after taking Opana, an addictive narcotic much like oxycodone and other prescription drugs, prescribed to them by Doctor Lisa Tseng. Russo was a former high school football player who began taking Opana and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax when he was sixteen according to his father. Also according to his father, Russo lost interest in sports and began a life of drug abuse. Before his death, Russo had completed a forty day stay in a drug rehabilitation facility.

Also according to this lawsuit, Tseng prescribed high doses of the dangerous narcotics to Russo on several occasions and the lawsuit claims that the prescribing was "reckless” and was a "substantial factor" in his death. Records from the pharmacy also show that Ryan Winter had visited Tseng twice before he died and was given two prescriptions, Opana and Xanax. These cases bring the number to ten in drug deaths linked to Lisa Tseng practice in a mini mall. State officials are moving to revoke her license and a criminal investigation by federal drug authorities continues.

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In Tennessee and all over the United States when someone is driving under the influence and they injury someone else they should be accountable for their actions, no matter who that person is. If you or someone you care about has been injured in an accident caused by someone driving under the influence, then you should speak with a Tennessee personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. They will hear your case and work with you to make sure you get the compensation you need for the injuries you have suffered.

In this case, a civil lawsuit was filed on behalf of Fernando Tellez who was permanently disabled and has to have several surgeries and medical procedures after Barron Hilton’s Paris Hilton’s little brother hit Tellez with his Mercedes-Benz when Hilton pulled into a Pacific Coast Highway gas station. Hilton was taken into custody for his DUI after his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.14 well above the legal limit. Witnesses to his driving also claim that he was driving the wrong way down the highway for miles before hitting Tellez.

Barron Hilton was told to pay Tellez $4.9 million to the gas station he hit with his car in 2008. The civil lawsuit award covers pain and suffering, medical expenses, and loss of earnings. Hilton also must pay $225,000 in punitive damages and $71,000 in interest.

Continue reading "Barron Hilton Told to Give Over $5 Million to Gas Station Employee" »

In Tennessee and all across the country when we go to work, we expect to work in a safe, healthy, and respectful environment. Unfortunately, many times this is not the case for many workers across the country and even in Tennessee. If you feel that your work has exposed you to dangerous chemicals such as asbestos or just to a dangerous environment and you have suffered an illness or injury because of it, then you should speak with a Tennessee asbestos injury lawyer right away. They will hear your case and make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

In this case, James Ginter filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor because he used a friction assessment screening test machine when he worked at Durez Plastics in 1980. This machine was produced by Ford and Ginter claims the machine caused him to be exposed to asbestos which led to him being diagnosed with mesothelioma. Ginter used this machine to grind down experimental materials in order to test their viability as brakes. Several of these materials had asbestos. According to the lawsuit, the machine that Ginter worked with had no warning labels that it was producing asbestos even though Ford had a history of fatalities caused by their workers being exposed to asbestos since the 1970s.

The mesothelioma that Ginter was diagnosed with is a rare type of cancer found in the chest and lungs which is only known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. The cancer can go undiagnosed for several years after being exposed to asbestos causing people with the disease to often have a shorter life expectancy after being diagnosed. The Supreme Court in this case awarded 2.5 million in damages to Ginter for his mesothelioma diagnoses and found Ford was fifteen percent responsible for Ginter exposure to the asbestos. The rest of the damages were found to be other companies’ responsibilities.

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The Tennessee Legislature has passed tort reform. Unfortunately, the new laws do nothing to prevent frivolous lawsuits. Instead the laws limit damages for the most needy cases such as wrongful death and catastrophic injuries.

Tennessee Lawyer Jim Higgins discusses the impact on these cases:

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All across the United States and even in Tennessee, many people have heard about the problems with Zimmer hip and knee replacement devices. People have suffered pain and problems because of these medical devices and may have even required more surgery to fix or replace the device. Even surgeons who perform the Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement surgeries have warned the Zimmer Company about problems and defects with the device. If you or someone you care about has received a Zimmer NexGen Knee replacement and experienced pain or problems because of it, you should speak with a Tennessee Zimmer recall lawyer right away. They will hear your case and make sure you get the compensation you deserve for your pain and problems.

According to online resources, Dr. Richard A Berger installed Zimmer knee replacements into his patients and designed surgical tools and artificial joints for Zimmer holdings as well as trained doctors to use Zimmer products and promoted Zimmer products for over ten years. Zimmer paid him more than $8 million over the last ten years. Following this, Dr. Berger informed Zimmer that the NexGen artificial knee replacement was defective and failing too soon. Dr. Berger went on to publish a study that proved the defect in the Zimmer knee replacement. Dr. Berger is not the only surgeon who was concerned about these replacement devices. Other surgeons had warned the Zimmer company years ago about these problems.

The Zimmer Company blamed the defects and problems of its hip and knee replacements on the surgeon’s technique instead of on their product. The NexGen knee replacement requires the use of adhesives to hold the thigh bone to the part of the knee replacement that bends. However, many surgeons are cautious about using adhesives because they can break done and cause failures. Zimmer’s replacement uses a version that does not have adhesives and requires the bone to naturally fuse with knee implant. This has and can lead to knee replacement failures, revision surgery to replace the device, loosening of the device, knee and joint pain, and difficulty when walking or standing.

Continue reading "Surgeons Urge Recall Of Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacements" »

In Tennessee and across the United States, millions of people have heard about the hip replacement recalls. They have been advertisements on TV, in newspapers, and even online. Many people have been affected by these hip replacement recalls experiencing pain and other problems and even needing more surgery to fix the problem. If you or someone you know has experienced pain or problems after receiving a hip replacement then your hip replacement could be part of the recall and you should speak with a Tennessee hip replacement recall lawyer as soon as possible. They will hear your case and help you to get the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.

In this case, a federal lawsuit has been filed against the hip replacement manufacturer Zimmer when Francoie Stephens saw a television advertisement involving the recall of DePuy hip replacement devices. According to the lawsuit Stephens claims he had hip replacement surgery in 2007 and had a Zimmer Durom hip replacement. He claims that he had no reason to believe the device was defective until he saw the advertisement about the DePuy recall in September of 2010.

When Stephens speak with an attorney he found out about the possible defects related to his type of medical device. In 2011, Stephens had to have surgery to have the hip replaced because of problems such as rising levels of cobalt chromium contamination from the breaking down of his device. Zimmer has been accused of not informing Stephens of the problems related to the device and for negligently and carelessly continuing to design and make the device when it had one or more defects which made it dangerous and inadequate to use. Stephens is seeking damages for pain and suffering, physical distress and injury, medical expenses, shame and humiliation, inability to lead a normal life, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, punitive damages, mental anguish, court costs and interest.

Continue reading "Hip Replacement Advertisement Prompts Zimmer Lawsuit " »