SAN FRANCISCO - (Business Wire) The law firms of Girard Gibbs LLP and The Danko Law Firm are pleased to announce that Ms. A. J. De Bartolomeo, a partner with Girard Gibbs LLP, has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the prosecution of the Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2100), pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. In an order issued by the Court on November 10, 2009, Chief U.S. District Judge David Herndon appointed A. J. De Bartolomeo to the 10-lawyer Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, which will be responsible for conducting and coordinating pretrial proceedings in the litigation. Along with the other committee members, Ms. De Bartolomeo will serve as a spokesperson for all plaintiffs at pretrial proceedings and in response to any inquiries by the Court.
“I am pleased to be working with such an esteemed group of attorneys and believe that our collective experience in litigating important cases such as these will be of great service to the women and families injured by Yaz. As one of two women appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, I recognize the significance of this litigation, not only from a public health perspective, but also to women’s rights as a whole. We believe that people are entitled to be fully informed about the potential risks and health consequences of the medications that they take,” said Ms. De Bartolomeo.
More than 100 lawsuits have been filed throughout the United States by women who have suffered serious injuries after taking Yaz and Yasmin. On October 1, 2009, all of the Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits pending in federal court were consolidated and coordinated for pre-trial proceedings before Judge Herndon in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The coordinated case, MDL No. 2100, is known as In Re: Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation.
“Our law firms speak with women every day who have suffered serious injuries after taking Yaz and Yasmin. Through this MDL litigation, we intend to prove that Bayer knew or should have known of the serious health risks Yasmin and Yaz presented, yet it failed to tell women that taking Yaz or Yasmin put them at a greater risk of developing severe health problems than with other oral contraceptives,” said Ms. De Bartolomeo.
Yaz and Yasmin are two of the most popular birth control pills in the United States and the top-selling products for Bayer Pharmaceuticals. These birth control pills contain a unique progestin hormone known as drospirenone, or “drsp,” which recent medical studies have found may increase the risk of thrombosis (a medical term for blood clots). The FDA has also stated that the use of drospirenone in these medications ‘may result in potentially serious heart and health problems.’ Yaz and Yasmin have also been the subject of three FDA Warning Letters for misleading advertising, which the FDA found minimized the risks of these drugs while promoting Yaz for conditions other than what it had been approved to treat.
Ms. De Bartolomeo will serve on the 10 member Steering Committee along with other distinguished attorneys appointed by the Court.
For more information, please contact Girard Gibbs LLP and The Danko Law Firm, visit our blog www.YazOnTrial.com, or call 866-981-4800. Girard Gibbs LLP is one of the nation’s leading firms in prosecuting complex litigation cases including class and mass action cases. The Danko Law firm is a leading Northern California plaintiff’s personal injury firm.
Girard Gibbs LLP
A.J. De Bartolomeo, 415-981-4800
