Sanders Law Firm Files Claim for Good Samaritan Beaten by NYC Cops Gone Wild

Marc Grossman, Senior Partner of the law firm of Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, P.C. in Bronx, New York, announced today that it has just filed a Notice of Claim against The City of New York and The New York City Police Department on behalf of Cyle Perry-Osby with regard to the injuries he sustained when he was violently assaulted by 2 female New York City Police Officers in the highly publicized incident of August 15, 2008. The filing of the Notice of Claim is a pre-requisite to filing a lawsuit against The City of New York.

Cyle Perry-Osby was driving on 218th Street in the Bronx when he came upon New York City Police Officers Michelle Anglin and Koleen Robinson, who were assaulting a motorist at the intersection of White Plains Road and 218th Street. When Mr. Osby questioned the 2 females as to what was happening, one of the officers replied "You don't know who you're f---ing with, we're the f---ing cops." The officers then sprayed mace on Mr. Osby and struck him in the head and face. One of the officers then held a gun to Mr. Osby's face, causing Mr. Osby to fear for his life, before the officers finally left the scene.

Mr. Osby was immediately treated at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center for a severe head injury and will require continued medical attention.

Mr. Osby was only trying to be a good Samaritan and assist a man he saw was in trouble. Mr. Osby is with his family now trying to recover and is thankful that arrests have been made in this case. Attorney Michael Villeck, Esq. of the firm believes "It's a terrible injustice when people abuse their position of power. When those entrusted with preserving civility and protecting the public commit this type of horrendous act and cause serious injury to innocent civilians, the entire city suffers."

Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, P.C. has extensive experience handling litigation involving assaults, excessive force and violation of civil and constitutional rights. The firm has received broad media coverage over its recently filed product liability lawsuits against Pfizer, Inc., the manufacturer of the hugely popular Chantix smoking cessation drug; and for its role in the ground-breaking $4.85 Billion Vioxx settlement against Merck & Co. According to Marc Grossman, "It's been a very busy Summer for the Firm which, in a recent span of just 8 days, recovered 8 million dollars in damages for its clients, including a 5 million dollar product liability settlement."

For more information about the firm, contact Marc Grossman, Esq. at 1-800-FAIR -PLAY or via email to mgrossman@thesandersfirm.com or click here.

Chantix pulled from Military Base Pharmacy

Not letting people who are carrying rifles to take a drug that has been linked to suicide sounds like a good idea to me. Marc Grossman

In the US, Chantix has been linked to at least 40 suicides and 400 attempted suicides. In November 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an “Early Communication” that stated its preliminary assessment revealed many of the cases reflected new-onset of depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and changes in emotion and behavior within days to weeks of initiating Chantix treatment.

In February, the FDA said “it appears increasingly likely that there may be an association between Chantix and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms.” The agency said that it had asked Pfizer to elevate the prominence of safety information regarding suicidal thoughts and other psychiatric problems to the warnings and precautions section of the Chantix prescribing information, or labeling. However, many consumer advocates, including the group Public Citizen, want the FDA to go further and highlight the Chantix suicide risk with black box warning - the agency’s highest safety alert.

The decision to remove Chantix from the pharmacy at the Yokata Air Base was made after the non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices issued a report detailing Chantix adverse event reports to the FDA. The report, which was released in May, specifically cited 224 reports of potential heart-rhythm disturbances, 372 reports of possible movement disorders and 544 reports of likely glycemic problems, including diabetes. There were also reports of a dozen traffic accidents linked to Chantix.

The report noted that in the fourth quarter of 2007, Chantix accounted for 988 serious injuries in the U.S. reported to the FDA, more than any other individual drug in this time period.

Two days after the institute’s report, the Defense Department’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer recommended that Chantix “should not be used by personnel operating aircraft (including aircrew and air traffic controllers) and missile crew members.”

According to the “Stars and Stripes” website, no Chantix patients at Yakota have reported any adverse reactions. A patient with approval from his doctor can opt to continue the medication, and special order the drug. In the meantime, Yokota has suspended all refills of Chantix until patients review with their health care provider the potential risks and benefits of continuing the drug.

Since Chantix was approved by the FDA in 2006, the number of military prescriptions for the drug has exploded. In 2006, only 262 Chantix prescription were written at U.S. military medical facilities. By 2007, that number had jumped to 67,580.


Source: newsinferno.com/archives/3606

New York-Based Sanders Law Firm Files Five Product Liability Lawsuits Against

Leading personal injury law firm representing families of individuals who suffered from suicidal thoughts and erratic behavior while taking popular smoking cessation drug.

Mineola, N.Y. (Lexis Nexis) August 5, 2008 - Marc Grossman, senior partner of leading national personal injury law firm Sanders Viener Grossman LLP, today announced that he has filed five separate product liability lawsuits against Pfizer, Inc., manufacturer of the hugely popular Chantix smoking cessation drug.

The lawsuits (Cases 110517/08, 110518/08, 110519/08, 110520/08 and 110561/08) were filed in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County, and claim that each of the plaintiffs either committed or attempted suicide while suffering from neuropsychiatric side effects that resulted from taking Chantix.

Chantix has been prescribed to more than 6 million people worldwide since its launch in August 2006 and has been approved for use in more than 70 countries as a drug to assist adults who want to quit smoking. However, recent studies have shown that Chantix may cause serious adverse side effects, such as suicidal thoughts and erratic behavior.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert "to highlight important revisions to the warnings and precautions sections of the prescribing information for Chantix regarding serious neuropsychiatric symptoms."

"We've been investigating claims regarding Chantix ever since the FDA's initial communications about reported side effects, so our firm was well-prepared to vigorously represent our clients when we were contacted by their families," said Grossman. "For those familiar with this year's Tony Award-winning play, 'August: Osage County,' which has sparked debate about the risks of suicide and dysfunction stemming from prescription drug use, the fact that we are filing these actions on the eve of August 1st is a tragic illustration of life imitating art."

The filing of the Chantix lawsuits continues an extremely active year for Sanders Viener Grossman, in which the firm has secured a series of large settlements on behalf of its clients. The firm recently recovered large settlements for approximately 300 plaintiffs involved in the Vioxx-related litigation with Merck & Co. Last month, Sanders Viener Grossman recovered $8 million in damages for its clients over a span of just eight days, including a $5 million recovery
in a product liability case.

According to Grossman, the firm has extensive experience with defective drug litigation and can provide Chantix victims with free consultations and case reviews to make sure their legal rights are protected.

For more information about Sanders Viener Grossman LLP, please visit http://www.thesandersfirm.com/ or call 1.800.FAIRPLAY.