DALLAS, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. District Court Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater has given final approval for a $110 million settlement of a class action lawsuit that left hundreds of premature babies with life threatening medical conditions and killed at least 38 children. Plaintiffs from 33 states and Canada will receive compensation under the settlement.
"It took years of litigation and research to pry relevant information from people trying to hide what happened," said class counsel Dwain Dent, of The Dent Law Firm in Fort Worth. "This was a cover-up of massive proportions but the legal system allowed us to find the truth and make sure the victims of this horrific tragedy received justice."
The supplement, E-Ferol, was marketed in the mid-1980s and was advertised as a way to help avoid blindness in premature babies. Instead, the material used to liquefy the vitamin proved toxic. "Evidence showed that the company knew it was putting babies in danger and sold the product anyway," said Dent. One in-house memo told pharma executives to "use your ingenuity" to get around the problem.
After the investigation by the Center for Disease Control, the lawyers at The Dent Law Firm found that some hospitals tried to cover up the issue by refusing to tell parents they had administered the drug to their children, forcing a prolonged legal battle.
Defendants in the case included manufacturer Carter-Glogau Laboratories of Glendale, Arizona and distributor O'Neal, Jones & Feldman Pharmaceuticals of Maryland Heights, Missouri.
About The Dent Law Firm
Dwain Dent found The Dent Law Firm in 1990. Dent has been recognized as a Texas Superlawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine and as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. He is board certified in personal injury trial work by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar of Texas and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Fred L. Streck, III, has been recognized as a Texas Superlawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine and as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association Specialization, the State Bar of Texas and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He too has extensive healthcare, pharmaceutical and general tort claim representation.
SOURCE The Dent Law Firm
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"It took years of litigation and research to pry relevant information from people trying to hide what happened," said class counsel Dwain Dent, of The Dent Law Firm in Fort Worth. "This was a cover-up of massive proportions but the legal system allowed us to find the truth and make sure the victims of this horrific tragedy received justice."
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The supplement, E-Ferol, was marketed in the mid-1980s and was advertised as a way to help avoid blindness in premature babies. Instead, the material used to liquefy the vitamin proved toxic. "Evidence showed that the company knew it was putting babies in danger and sold the product anyway," said Dent. One in-house memo told pharma executives to "use your ingenuity" to get around the problem.
After the investigation by the Center for Disease Control, the lawyers at The Dent Law Firm found that some hospitals tried to cover up the issue by refusing to tell parents they had administered the drug to their children, forcing a prolonged legal battle.
Defendants in the case included manufacturer Carter-Glogau Laboratories of Glendale, Arizona and distributor O'Neal, Jones & Feldman Pharmaceuticals of Maryland Heights, Missouri.
About The Dent Law Firm
Dwain Dent found The Dent Law Firm in 1990. Dent has been recognized as a Texas Superlawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine and as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. He is board certified in personal injury trial work by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar of Texas and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Fred L. Streck, III, has been recognized as a Texas Superlawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine and as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association Specialization, the State Bar of Texas and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He too has extensive healthcare, pharmaceutical and general tort claim representation.
SOURCE The Dent Law Firm
