When Florida residents have a medical condition that requires multiple medications to treat, they trust their doctors to provide them with accurate advice on dosage requirements. This is because some drugs do not mix well with others. So when a man was diagnosed with acute liver failure due to his usage of Tylenol and Vicodin, he filed a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturers.
The Georgia man filed suit on Sept. 10 against Johnson & Johnson, McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Amneal Pharmaceuticals for the injuries he received. He is suing for multiple damages, including breach of warranties, strict liability, fraud, negligence, failure to warn, fraudulent concealment, design defect and misrepresentation. The man is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees, court costs and interest. It is unknown how much he is requesting in damages, but it is likely to exceed the $50,000 limit.
The man had to be hospitalized in June 2011 due to liver failure he incurred while taking Tylenol and Vicodin. He claims he took the medications exactly as his doctor prescribed. He says the manufacturers violated consumer protection laws by failing to warn him of the risk of injury. The suit claims that Tylenol is the cause of most cases of liver failure in the country, but the manufacturers promoted Tylenol as a safe medication.
When used properly, Tylenol and Vicodin can help relieve pain. Should they be considered defective products because one man claims they caused his liver failure? This is the question that will before the civil court as the case makes its way through the court system.
Source:
The Pennsylvania Record, “J&J, others face products liability claim by man whose acute liver failure is tied to Tylenol-Vicodin mixture” Jon Campisi, Oct. 02, 2013
