A civil meningitis lawsuit was filed recently in Minnesota by a woman who was given several injections of a steroid medication made by New England Compounding Center (NECC), the firm that is linked to a meningitis outbreak which so far led to over 300 cases of fungal meningitis and 23 deaths across several states.
The meningitis lawsuit, Barbe Puro v. New England Compounding Pharmacy Inc., U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, No. 12 -2605, is seeking compensation and damages for Puro and seeks to create a class action in the state. The steroid product was distributed by NECC, a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. The product has been recalled amid possibilities that it was tainted with two types of fungus, namely Exserohilum and Aspergillus.
The case is the first of many meningitis lawsuits that are likely to follow. The potentially tainted NECC steroid was distributed to 23 states, namely West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Yor, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, California, Connecticut, and Florida.
NECC executives may also be facing criminal charges, depending on the findings of a criminal investigation that was called for by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) amid the meningitis outbreak. Blumenthal sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, seeking a criminal investigation into the ominous meningitis outbreak. In his letter Blumenthal wrote, “In light of recent reports that the NECC may have flagrantly and blatantly violated both state and federal law, directly contributing to contamination of steroid products distributed nationally across state boundaries, I request that the Department of Justice begin a criminal investigation of the company, its officers and employees, and others who should be held accountable. Relevant to considering possible criminal enforcement and the horrific consequences of this tragedy.”
If you have become sick, or a loved one has died, after receiving a spinal steroid epidural, contact Mike Agruss Law, at 888-572-0176 to discuss your potential meningitis lawsuit. We are here to counsel you in your time of need and fight for your rights under the law. Call us today at 888-572-0176.
