Baum Hedlund continues to accept catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout the United States involving antidepressants limited to:
Baum Hedlund has represented victims in drug product liability litigation against pharmaceutical companies arising out of the use of potentially harmful drugs that may cause serious injury or death since 1988.
Baum Hedlund's staff has the experience and education to effectively investigate and resolve complex cases. Baum Hedlund attorneys have served on 17 different plaintiffs' steering committees (PSCs) that manage complex multi-district litigation (MDL). Several of these MDLs have involved pharmaceutical and drug manufacturer negligence.
Since 1990, Baum Hedlund has been litigating antidepressant-induced suicide/violence cases involving SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. Baum Hedlund attorneys served on the plaintiffs' steering committee in the first SSRI-suicide litigation involving Prozac (the first SSRI approved by the FDA for marketing in the U.S.). The firm was also on the trial team of one of the few SSRI-induced suicide cases to go to trial, Forsyth v. Lilly in Hawaii.
Baum Hedlund partner, Karen Barth Menzies is Lead Counsel for the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (MDL-1574) Paxil Products Liability Litigation. In addition to her court activities, she has testified about the dangers of SSRIs before the California State Assembly and the Food and Drug Administration's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and met with members of the House and Senate regarding the risk of antidepressant induced suicidality. Ms. Menzies was named Lawyer of the Year by Lawyer's Weekly, California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer magazine and one of The National Law Journal's Top 40 Under 40 for her "extraordinary achievements" and "impressive track record" for "stepping up her fight in the past few years, advocating that pharmaceutical companies should warn about the alleged risks of antidepressant drugs.
Baum Hedlund's team of attorneys and staff have been successful in defeating efforts by drug companies to dismiss cases on "preemption" grounds. (Drug companies routinely argue in pharmaceutical drug cases that they should be immune from liability for failing to warn about dangerous side effects associated with their drugs because the drugs were approved for use by the FDA, thus they should be "federally preempted" from liability.) Baum Hedlund's preemption successes include such precedent-setting cases as Motus v. Pfizer and Witczak v. Pfizer.
Baum Hedlund maintains a leadership role in antidepressant litigation and shares its knowledge and experience on a regular basis through seminars and articles. Baum Hedlund currently represents dozens of families and victims of suicide and suicide attempts related to Paxil. The firm also represents children who have suffered heart defects and PPHN as a result of their mother's ingestion of an SSRI during pregnancy, such as Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, among others.
Our staff includes attorneys from top law schools. Attorneys in the firm have maintained the highest attorney rating and are listed in such publications as Martindale-Hubbell's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Marquis Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law. Inclusion in these publications is solely based on merit.
The firm's long history of educational and professional excellence continues with its approach to the cases it is entrusted to handle.
The firm's staff, many of whom have worked together for over twenty years, stresses client orientation and service. We give our clients a toll-free number to make reaching us effortless. We consider prompt response to client communications one of our highest priorities. We recognize that representing our clients involves more than research and litigation: we provide extra care and attention to our clients' special needs and vulnerability. We pride ourselves in making communication with our clients the cornerstone of our practice. In fact, many of our clients remain in touch with us long after their cases have resolved.
Our firm is legally and scientifically up-to-date and able to provide the commitment and resources necessary to litigate these cases.
Paxil Birth Defects (Heart and PPHN)
Antidepressants and Congenital Heart Defects
Antidepressant Adverse Reactions
Recent news and information
Prozac Suicidality and Violence Timeline
Complete brochure, testimonials and references available to potential clients
upon written request, phone or e-mail.
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Baum Hedlund | |
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| LOS ANGELES OFFICE 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 950 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Telephone (310) 207-3233 Facsimile (310) 820-7444 1-800-827-0087 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE 1250 24th Street, N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20037 Telephone (202) 466-0513 Facsimile (202) 466-0527 1-800-827-0097 |
