#1 ERISA Lawsuit Alleges that ESOP Fiduciaries Cheated ParticipantsChicago, ILParticipants in the West Monroe Partners Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) filed a class action ERISA lawsuit claiming that the ESOP’s fiduciaries and the Trustee shortchanged them of the value of the company’s stock when West Monroe sold half the company to an outside investor. At its most elemental, the scheme described in Daly v. West Monroe Partners Inc. involved using participants’ retirement savings to enrich the company insiders. The details, however, suggest a careful plan carefully executed in several steps over almost a year.
#2 Kickback Scheme Spawns Humira Whistleblower Lawsuit and Investor BacklashWilmington, DE On May 17, an investor sued AbbVie, alleging that the manufacturer of Humira defrauded investors by permitting the company to engage in an illegal “kickback scheme” that caused the value of the stock to plummet. The shareholder derivative lawsuit arises from a number of whistleblower lawsuits, including one filed in California in 2018. These brought to light AbbVie’s scheme to induce doctors to prescribe Humira by showering them with cash, meals, drinks, gifts, trips, patient referrals and the services of nurse “ambassadors.” Ranney v. Gonzalez is just the latest fallout from AbbVie’s controversial “white coat marketing” efforts.
#3 Aftermath of a Horrific Amusement Park AccidentLouisville, KY It is not only a parent's worst nightmare but anyone's worst nightmare??"in this case an Amusement Park Accident at a popular theme park that resulted in a 13-year-old girl having both of her feet severed above the ankle. Kaitlyn Lasitter survived, and doctors were able to re-attach her right foot. But they could not save her left, and Kaitlyn now walks with a prosthesis.
#5 Bextra: "They Got Away with Murder"Atlanta, GA "I was told that if my mother had lived--as a vegetable in a hospital bed-- there would be a lawsuit, but because she died, there was no recourse," says Dianne Nev. "Pfizer, the maker of Bextra, can't make you a vegetable and get away with it, but they can get away with murder."
#6 Plaintiffs Seek Recusal of Latest Judge in Home Depot ERISA LawsuitAtlanta, GA On April 15, plaintiffs in Pizarro v. The Home Depot asked U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to recuse himself because of his association with the Chamber of Commerce, which had filed an amicus curiae brief in support of The Home Depot in 2021. The $140 million class action ERISA lawsuit was assigned to Judge Grimberg on March 4 of this year only after Judge William M. Ray II, who had previously presided over the case, recused himself because he was about to inherit Home Depot stock. This is the fourth re-assignment sought by the plaintiffs.
#8 Lupron: Do the Risks Outweigh the Benefits?Las Vegas, NV Lupron has not received the same widespread media attention to which other medications have been subjected, but for some patients, Lupron side effects can be devastating. Some say the drug is dangerous; others call it a poison. A number of websites have sprung up to provide Lupron users with a forum in which to share their experiences and debate the drug's pros and cons. Even some medical experts have come out against Lupron, arguing that the risks outweigh the benefits.
#9 Seroquel Side Effects for the ElderlyPearblossom, CA Seroquel is a neuroleptic indicated for the treatment of bipolar disorder—and like most drugs carries a host of Seroquel side effects, including diabetes, tardive dyskinesia and even birth defects. However, there is a little-known use for Seroquel off-label that concerned the daughter of one Alzheimer's patient for whom she was caring.
#10 Bard v. Milanesi Good News for Hernia Mesh VictimsPensacola, FL Lorna P., one of many hernia mesh victims, is hopeful that she will receive compensation after hearing that the jury in the second C.R. Bard bellwether trial awarded $255,000 to a man allegedly injured by C.R. Bard’s hernia mesh.
