Product Defects

Published on: August 6, 2019

California Military Earplug Lawsuit Attorney

If you are a current or former member of the U.S. military who has a hearing loss or who suffers from tinnitus, your condition may have been caused by defective combat earplugs. These earplugs were sold to the government by 3M and are called the Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 or CAEv2. In 2018, 3M reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and agreed to pay $9.1 million for its failure to disclose that the earplugs were defectively designed. These defects led to hearing losses and tinnitus in thousands of military service members who used them.

The Los Angeles injury lawyers at Steven M. Sweat APC are currently reviewing defective earplugs cases to veterans who have suffered hearing losses or tinnitus after using the CAEv2 earplugs. The earplugs were used by service members who served from 2003 to 2015 and were olive and yellow in color. If you remember using these earplugs and have suffered a hearing loss, contact our office today for a free case review from an experienced California attorney.

The contract with 3M & Aearo Technologies

Published on: June 25, 2019

Johnson & Johnson Hit With $10M Jury Verdict in California Talcum Powder Case

by Steven M. Sweat

baby-powder-lawsuits-attorney-california

Products manufacturers have a duty of care to warn consumers about the potential dangers of their products. They also are not supposed to release unreasonably dangerous products into the market. If a product is defective, is unreasonably dangerous, or has inadequate warnings, the manufacturers may be liable when consumers who have used the products in an intended manner are harmed as a result. In Schmitz v. J&J, Superior Court of the State of California, Alameda, Case No. RG18923615, the jury returned a substantial verdict to a California woman who contracted mesothelioma after using talcum-powder products that were manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and Colgate for decades.

Factual and procedural background

Patricia Schmitz, a former fifth-grade teacher, is a 61-year-old California woman. Her mother applied baby powder containing talc when she was an infant. Beginning when she was 13, Schmitz began using talc-based products daily after her shower. She used Colgate-Palmolive’s Cashmere Bouquet on a daily basis from the time that she was 13 until the 2000s. She also used Avon’s Night Magic at some point in time. Her mother had used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder on her when she was an infant.

Published on: April 23, 2019

Roundup Weed Killer Injury Claims Attorney in California

by Steven M. Sweat

As a personal injury attorney helping victims of Roundup weed killer with claims in California, I thought I would provide some useful information on this dangerous product and what victims can do to recover compensation if they or a loved one have been injured by use of this popular and widely used product. Roundup, a popular weedkiller that has been widely used by people in their gardens as well as by farmers, is believed to be linked to certain types of cancer. The weedkiller is manufactured by Monsanto and was first developed in the 1970s. Many people have developed cancer after using this herbicide in their gardens. If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma and have used a weedkiller that contains glyphosate, you may have legal rights to compensation. The Law Offices of Steven M. Sweat are currently reviewing potential claims on behalf of victims who have developed one of these cancers as well as the families of people who have died after using this herbicide in their gardens or on their lawns.

What is dangerous about glyphosate?

Roundup is an effective herbicide that has been widely used to kill weeds in gardens, on farms, and on lawns. The active ingredient in this weedkiller is called glyphosate. Researchers have found a link between glyphosate exposure and specific types of cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia.

Published on: July 31, 2013

Stryker Hip Replacement Surgery: An Important Component To Rejuvenate Defect Lawsuits

by Steven M. Sweat

What is Stryker hip replacement?

In the world of medicine, Stryker Hip Implant was one of those surgical procedures that required no clinical trial due to the fact that it was similar to previous generations of hip prosthetic devices. Because it was such a ground breaking technology, one that seemed ingenious ever since it was tried, it quickly gained popularity in the medical community as remedy to hip dislocation and joint problems compared to previous generations of hardware.

However, over the years post-surgery complications have increased in patients who have undergone this procedure. In its initial years, medical practitioners claimed that Stryker was a not a metal-on-metal hip implant, unlike other older devices. Therefore, it was deemed to be a success. However, the smaller metallic components in this device used at the junction of the joint itself have created so many complications that a significant percentage of patients have experienced chronic pain and serious complications a few months following the the surgery.