Lafayette Mass Torts Lawyer

What Kind of Mass Tort Lawsuits Can You Join?

There are currently several types of mass tort lawsuits plaintiffs are joining. If you have suffered an injury due to any of these complications, you may want to consider reaching out to our office serving Lafayette.

• Hernia mesh : Approximately one million hernia repair surgeries are completed each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unfortunately, chronic pain after the procedure happens in many patients.
• Hip replacement : While millions of Americans have benefited from this surgery and were given a new lease on life, others have developed serious problems, such as pain and mobility issues.
• IVC filters : Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are small medical devices used for patients at high risk of experiencing an arterial blockage in the lungs or a pulmonary embolism. When these filters are defective, they can perforate the inferior vena cava.
• Mesothelioma : According to a 2017 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), thousands of people pass away from malignant mesothelioma each year. Often, the cause was asbestos exposure on the job.
• NAS : Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) refers to a series of medical complications that occur when a mother uses prescription drugs during her pregnancy. Many parents are holding the drug manufacturers responsible.
• Roundup : The product known as Roundup, created by the Monsanto corporation, is one of the most common herbicides used in the United States. It is also linked to causing certain cancers in humans, and the manufacturers are being held responsible.
• Surgical stapler : According to the FDA, hundreds of thousands of people have been injured by surgical staples in the last decade. Surgeons rely on surgical staples to seal incision sites after surgery.
• Talcum powder : Talcum powder has long been associated with infant care, and many people use it to stay dry and fresh. However, this powder contains the dangerous ingredient talc, which has been linked to deadly mesothelioma, per medical journals like the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Mass Torts Keep Your Case Separate

The most important distinction is that mass torts keep all the plaintiffs’ cases separate. Therefore, if one person has a unique set of circumstances that led to them filing a suit, a mass tort case could give them a better chance at recovering compensation to address their unique damages.

Conversely, a class action uses a single representative plaintiff to speak for all the claimants.

Mass Torts Do Not Require Identical Fact Patterns

Class actions require all plaintiffs to have identical fact patterns and injuries that lump them into a class. For example, all people a corporation fired because of their gender may file a class action suit since they had the same “injuries.” These criteria must fit the requirements provided in Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, according to the Legal Information Institute (LII). By contrast, mass torts allow people to maintain their individuality while banding together to pool resources. This can apply to both the compensation they seek and the circumstances that led to them filing suit.