Five More Women Come Forward with Yaz Lawsuits
Five more women from various states across the country have filed Yaz lawsuits recently in the the United States District Court (Minnesota). All but one of the cases issue the same complaint, that the oral contraceptive caused them to suffer from gallbladder disease, with the fifth complaint alleging that the drug caused blood clots. Each of the women involved is also claiming that Bayer, the makers of Yaz, lied to them by fraudulently declaring that the drugs were safe and that the company tried to downplay the serious risks associated with taking Yaz.
One of the plaintiffs, Rachel M. Hart, is claiming that she started using Yaz back in January 2006, and because of that use, she says she has had a stroke after developing a blood clot. Ever since her stroke, Hart’s complaint says that she has “sustained severe and permanent injuries, pain, suffering, and emotional distress, as well as other injuries.”
The other four plaintiffs — Eva Takashima, Rita L. Zuniga, Ashley Yauger and Jennifer Marcki — are alleging that taking the controversial oral contraceptive caused them to suffer from gallbladder disease. As for the Yaz use timeline, Ms. Takashima was taking Yaz in 2008 and eventually had to have her gallbladder removed because of it. Zuniga started Yaz in 2005 and had her gallbladder removed in 2008, whereas the other two women, Yauger and Marcki, have been through similar problems as well.
Studies have shown Yaz and Yasmin links to gallbladder disease and blood clots for years because of the pills’ main ingredient, drosperinone. Drosperinone has been linked with various other conditions as well and is now under serious review by the FDA. These serious risks have caused thousands of Yaz lawsuits to be filed all across the country. So many lawsuits have been filed that they had to be consolidated into MDL and bellwether trials which are set to begin in January 2012. Judge David Herndon will be presiding.
