Reglan Lawsuits Blog

Jackson Allen Williams, LLP Announces Association With Lisa Blue Baron and Mike Kaeske

2009-10-23T00:21:00.002-05:00

The drug injury lawyers at Jackson Allen Williams, LLP are proud to announce their association with nationally prominent trial lawyers Lisa Blue Baron and Mike Kaeske to represent victims of Reglan-induced movement disorders including Tardive Dyskinesia, Tardive Dystonia and Tardive Akathesia. Lisa and Mike are nationally known for their representation of victims of serious injuries in high profile cases, having obtained numerous significant jury verdicts.

Lisa Blue Baron of Baron and Blue in Dallas, Texas is both an attorney and a PhD. in Counseling Psychology. Lisa was formerly a partner at Baron & Budd, the largest environmental and toxic tort law firm in the United States. Her accomplishments in trial courts nationwide have been widely recognized, including being named one of the Top 50 Women Litigators in the U.S. by the National Law Journal, Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, as well as receiving the Honorary Barrister Award from the University of Texas Law School and the Distinguished Alumni Award from South Texas College of Law. Blue was named Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2006 by the Dallas Bar Association. In 2007, she received the Louise Raggio Women’s Legal Advocate Award from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and was awarded the Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation in 2008. Ms. Blue was honored to accept the 2009 Rayburn Johnson Award posthumously on behalf of her husband, Fred Baron.

In addition to her legal practice, Lisa maintains a private consultancy as a forensic psychologist and is a nationally renowned expert in jury selection. With her unique background, she has been a commentator for several high-profile trials covered by Court TV and has co-authored numerous articles on jury selection. These include: “The Dos and Don’ts of Jury Questionnaires” (Texas Lawyer), “Make the Most of Your Jury Questionnaire” (Trial), “Profile of a Perfect Juror” (Trial Talk), “How to Pick a Winning Jury” (Champion), “Profile of a Perfect Juror” (Arizona Trial Lawyers Association Advocate), “Inside the Juror’s Mind” (Texas Bar Journal), “Profile of a Perfect Juror” (Advocate Magazine - Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for So. California), “Profile of a Perfect Juror” (South Texas Law Review), “In Defense of the Peremptory Challenge” (Voir Dire Magazine), and “Twelve Psychological Tips for Getting Re-elected Every Time” (In Chambers). Lisa has written two books: ATLA’s Blue’s Guide to Jury Selection, co-authored with Robert Hirschhorn in 2004 (published by West), and Dr. Blues’ Guide to Making Relationships Work: 50 Quick Tips that Will Save Your Relationship, co-authored with brother Rick Blue in 2006.

Mike Kaeske worked closely with Lisa Blue and Fred Baron at Baron & Budd where he trained as a courtroom trial lawyer. He picked juries as often as many lawyers attend hearings and his first verdict was an $8.5 million single-plaintiff victory. His last verdict for Baron & Budd was a radiation exposure case in Federal Court in Pittsburg, PA, and the jury returned a verdict of over $60 million for eight plaintiffs with leukemia and other cancers. That verdict led to Mike being nominated as Trial Lawyer of the Year from the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Mike’s primary emphasis is trial work. Because of his aggressive and effective courtroom techniques, he is called upon by lawyers across the country to try significant cases. He has obtained more than $450 million in settlements and verdicts since opening his own practice in 1999. The Kaeske Law Firm has a national practice based in Austin, Texas. Mike has devoted his professional life to the representing seriously injured victims and their families.

Jackson, Allen, Williams, LLP is located in Dallas, Texas and provides legal representation to injury victims nation wide.

Allen Law Firm is now Jackson Allen Williams, LLP

2009-10-22T23:11:00.001-05:00

Allen Law Firm is now Jackson Allen Williams, LLP. The dangerous drug lawyers at Jackson Allen Williams, LLP will continue to provide legal representation to injury victims nationwide including individuals with Reglan-induced Tardive Dyskinesia.

What is Tardive Dyskinesia?

2009-07-24T10:50:00.005-05:00

Dyskinesia is one of two major classifications of movement disorders. The other major classification of movement disorders are dystonias. Dyskinesias are involuntary, often hyperkinetic movements of various types that have no purpose and are not fully controllable by the patient. Some are random, some rhythmic, most are very odd looking and socially stigmatizing. They can affect the smooth movement of a joint resulting in jerky articulation. Gyrations of any body part and abrupt and seemingly violent movements of a limb are also common.

Tardive simply means late onset of the dyskinesia symptoms. Late onset symptoms can appear after months of trouble free treatment or when the drug is withdrawn or the dose is lowered. Symptoms often appear after discontinuing the drug because the drug may mask the toxic symptoms it is producing. Tardive reactions are more likely to be persistent or permanent than early onset symptoms. Symptoms that persist for six to twelve months are considered to be permanent although they may diminish slightly over the course of several years.

Involuntary movements associated with Tardive Dyskinesia are generally not present during sleep, though some specific movement symptoms are more troublesome during resting. Often patients can suppress Tardive Dyskinesia symptoms for a short period of time with intense concentration.

Tardive Dyskinesia can mimic disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Tourette's Syndrome, Huntington's Chorea, tics, cerebral palsy, stroke and hyperactivity. Sadly the symptoms associated with Tardive Dyskinesia are often mistaken for psychiatric disturbances and patients are often shunned.

Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia is more complicated that treatment of early onset movement symptoms. Consultation with a movement disorders specialist may be helpful in creating a treatment plan.

If you or a loved one is suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia after long-term (more than 3 months) use of Reglan, contact the Allen Law Firm today to discuss your legal options.

No MDL for Reglan Lawsuits

2009-07-24T10:16:00.002-05:00

In June 2009 the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied a request to consolidate Reglan lawsuits in one federal district. The panel issued their order on June 3, 2009 stating that the centralization of 11 different Reglan lawsuits before one judge for pretrial coordination was not appropriate at this time.

The lawsuits filed against the makers of Reglan and the generic, Metoclopramide, claim that the manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the potential tardive dyskinesia side effects of Reglan associated with long term use.

In February 2009, the FDA required the addition of a "black box" warning about the risk of Tardive Dyskinesia associated with long-term or high dose Reglan use.

The panel was persuaded by the drug makers' assertions that consolidated proceedings were not necessary. The drug makers pointed to 20 years of Reglan litigation that includes over 70 lawsuits. According to the manufacturers about 80% of the lawsuits filed have been resolved.