Lawsuits are mounting in Michigan as more and more residents who came down with meningitis come forward. The outbreak has been linked to a contaminated steroid manufactured by the New England Compounding Center pharmacy in Massachusetts.
The spate of Michigan lawsuits began Oct. 15, with a class-action on behalf of a 46-year-old woman diagnosed with fungal meningitis after being injected with the steroid. This case was the third such lawsuit filed in the nation, and the first in Michigan. Since then, at least five more lawsuits have been filed in Michigan against the pharmacy, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Negligence claims may not have too tough a time succeeding, thanks to some new information brought to light by state documents collected by the Associated Press through a public records request. According to the documents, in 2006 outside investigators found New England Compounding Center’s facilities to be inadequate, with poor contamination control and no written standard procedures for using equipment. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is now seeking almost 10 years’ worth of safety documents from the pharmacy.
CBS News reports that as of Tuesday, 297 people had been infected with meningitis, and 23 had died.
Read more InsideCounsel coverage of disease-based lawsuits:
Plaintiff wins $7.2 million in popcorn lung suit
Chinese drywall maker to face U.S. lawsuits over allegedly faulty product
First lawsuit filed regarding salmonella outbreak
Teva to pay $250 million to end hepatitis C cases
Family sues AA and Sky Chefs, claim in-flight meal lead to relative’s death
