A North Carolina mother is blaming Merck’s Gardasil vaccine for the litany of illnesses now harming her daughter. Posted on May 11th, WXII news in North Carolina has an eye-opening piece on Lauren Mathis and the battle she is fighting ever since her last Gardasil injection. Just one day prior, KMBC news in Kansas City aired a report of another teen seriously harmed as a result of the Gardasil vaccination. Already, over 40 deaths have been blamed on the Gardasil vaccine. Additionally, over 17,000 complaints have been filed with regards to injuries suffered following the Gardasil vaccinations.
While Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, would want you to believe that this vaccine can prevent cervical cancer, the ads might be slightly misleading. The ads say that the Gardasil vaccination can protect against four strains of HPV (human papilomavirus) but casually admits that they recommend annual pap smears. With their own doctors readily advocating the continued annual check ups, a mechanism that can achieve the same goals as the vaccine yet carries none of the potential side effects, the following question presents itself: What unique benefit does the Gardasil vaccine offer other than helping Merck gross an extra $1 billion per year?
Even if you are uncertain as to whether Gardasil was the cause of the injury, your statute of limitations may already be running. To avoid forfeiting your right to a claim, it’s important to contact an experienced and knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible.
Why risk losing out on a claim because you were uncertain of your rights and/or obligations? Feel free to CONTACT us for answers to your questions as well as a free case evaluation.
Important information regarding the Statute of Limitations on vaccination claims can be found HERE
May 11, 2010 at 4:23 pm
KMBC aired THIS segment Monday, May 10th. The Gardasil vaccine is a vaccination created by Merck to allegedly prevent the spread of cervical cancer.
In girls and young women ages 9 to 26, GARDASIL helps protect against 2 types of HPV that cause about 75% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. In boys and young men ages 9 to 26, GARDASIL helps protect against 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL
What the advertisement fails to emphasize is the company’s belief that girls should still obtain annual pap smears. With company doctors urging the annual check-ups, one has to wonder what UNIQUE benefit this vaccination carries other than lining the pockets of Merck with close to a billion dollars annually
While we are based out of Overland Park Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, The Ronan Law Firm is currently representing families all over the country. Please do not let geography stand in the way of you obtaining experienced counsel for your claim against Gardasil and Merck.
Even if you are uncertain as to whether Gardasil was the cause of the injury, your statute of limitations may already be running. To avoid forfeiting your right to a claim, it’s important to contact an experienced and knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible.
Why risk losing out on a claim because you were uncertain of your rights and/or obligations? Feel free to CONTACT us for answers to your questions as well as a free case evaluation.
Important information regarding the Statute of Limitations on vaccination claims can be found HERE
May 11, 2010 at 11:30 am
The human papillomavirus is being offered to children at schools in Wisconsin for a second straight year. While information regarding the other vaccines has been sent home to the parents, the vaccine offered by Merck offered no such information to the parents according to THIS recent news article.
Roloff said no information on Gardasil or HPV was sent home to parents, and that, according to Merck, the drug manufacturer, the vaccine only protects persons from two strains of HPV out of 40 strains, it does not protect all people who get the vaccine, and the only health benefit to boys is the prevention of genital warts.
One of the major complaints about this vaccine is the fact that everything came out of nowhere. It appeared as if the FDA fast-tracked this vaccine for approval in the United States while it appears other countries have conducted more tests prior to approval. Couple that with the fact that no long-term studies have been completed with regards to how this injection could affect the patient, it should not be surprising to see outbursts of concern over the proposed forced or mandatory vaccinations proposed by Gov. Perry of Texas.
Julie Roloff, a parent of a Lakeshore Elementary School student, said she has concerns about the safety of the vaccine, including an ingredient that is known to cause infertility. Roloff opted not to give her child the vaccine.
“I think 95 percent of the people have no idea what is in Gardasil or what the potential side effects are,” she said.
Another parent, Tara Grahl of Eden, said when her 9-month old is of age, she will forego the Gardasil.
“I am not saying they should not offer shots in schools. They should, however, be honest and open about the ingredients and the real problems that could arise, not just swelling at the injection site … but the possibility of death or long-term disability,” Grahl said. (FDLReporter.com)
As more news continues to break regarding this vaccine and the potential harms that might be hidden within, it’s important to be aware of your rights regarding any potential litigation. As a Vaccine, any litigation must follow the rules set forth in the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. Failure to follow those rules will bar any claimant from filing a civil suit at a latter date, even if the suit is timely filed within the state’s statute of limitations. Important information can be found HERE
If you or anyone you knows has questions regarding potential litigation, please do not hesitate to CONTACT an attorney. It is vital to know your rights and be aware of any potential time lines that may be running without your knowledge.
May 7, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Mom Tracy Wolf has filed suit on behalf of her daughter, Alexis, with regards the Gardasil HPV vaccine. Her daughter, Alexis, has suffered from seizures and has endured brain damage since getting the vaccination in 2007 and 2008. MOMLOGIC
May 7, 2010 at 3:31 pm
The Court of Federal Claims is where THE RONAN LAW FIRM recently filed a claim on behalf of ALEXIS WOLF regarding the Gardasil vaccinations. In accordance with the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, the claim MUST be heard in the Court of Federal Claims prior to being tried in state or district courts. Though straightforward on its face, this requirement may cause a lot of problems for parents when dealing with the Gardasil litigation.
WHAT PROBLEMS ARE CREATED BY THE COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS?
The primary concern THE RONAN LAW FIRM has with the potential Gardasil litigation is that parents may be misinformed regarding the statute of limitations for these cases. Whereas many states grant minors the ability to wait until they reach 18 to file suit, the Court of Federal Claims requires that suit be filed withing 3 years of the initial onset of injury. In cases of death, the statue of limitations is only 2 years.
WHAT ARE STATUTES OF LIMITATION?
The statute of limitation is a tool used by the courts to prevent suits from being brought long after the issue has occurred. In requiring a suit to be filed in a timely manner, the court protects the interests of the defendant as it pertains to being aware of potential defenses and evidence necessary for the pending litigation. Though it serves a very valuable purpose, the statute of limitations can be quite damaging when dealing with delayed claims.
If a person is unaware of the statute of limitations, failure to bring forth a claim within the prescribed time frame can prevent that claim from ever being raised on their behalf. Simply put, if you don’t file on time, you forfeit your right to file that particular lawsuit.
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO THE GARDASIL LITIGATION?
As mentioned above, often times, the states, when dealing with a minor, will prevent (toll) the statute from ‘running’ until the minor turns 18 years of age. (the exact statute varies by state). In dealing with the Court of Federal Claims, it is important to note that their statute of limitations supersedes that of the state and/or district courts.
Consequently, failure to file a Gardasil (or any vaccination) case with the Court within three years of the onset of injury could preclude that claim from ever being raised. Furthermore, since a vaccination case must first be heard by the Court of Federal Claims before moving on to the ‘standard’ civil litigation found in state and/or district courts, failure to meet the Court of Federal Claims statute of limitations could result in the loss of your right to bring suit in either court.
Thus, it is imperative that parents whom suspect their child was harmed by a vaccine CONTACT an attorney right away to protect their rights. Once again, simply stated, failure to file your Gardasil claim in accordance with the statute of limitations imposed by the Court of Federal Claims could preclude you from participating in future litigation against the vaccine manufacturer.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH GARDASIL?
Gardasil is a vaccine manufactured by Merck and Company which is given to young females between the ages of 11 and 26. The vaccine is supposed to protect against the human papillomavirus, which may serve as a potential cause of cervical cancer.
The problem with Gardasil is that a significant number of girls have suffered serious neurological and autoimmune problems after receiving the vaccine. Examples of these side effects include seizures, multiple-sclerosis like symptoms, Guillain-Barré syndrome, ALS, acute transverse myelitis, motor neuron disease and demyelinating syndromes. There are also reports of death (61 as of 200) resulting from Gardasil use. The important fact is that females can obtain protection from cervical cancer by getting regular pap smears
Important Links:
National Vaccine Information Center
United States Court of Federal Claims
Health Resources and Services Administration-National Vaccine Compensation Program
KOAT News Segment of Alexis Wolf
April 21, 2010 at 4:08 pm
The Ronan Law Blog 