On the Olinde Firm website, we write often about defective products that harm everyday people. Some examples include bad pharmaceutical products such as Plavix or Xarelto, or defective medical devices such as Bard IVC Filters or Transvaginal Mesh and Sling Devices. One of the continual frustrations of engaging in this type of national litigation is seeing big corporations time after time escaping blame for the harm they cause through greedy and careless actions in pursuit of big profits.
Defective Product Legislation Introduced
This week, United States Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced a bill that would make it a federal crime for a corporate officer to knowingly conceal information from the public about a defective product that poses a danger to future consumers of that product. In other words, the proposed new law would add a layer of criminal liability on top of the potential for financial damages in civil defective products litigation.
The bill proposed by Sen. Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, is called the Hide No Harm Act of 2015. According to Blumenthal, the impetus of the bill is to provide a new source of possible prosecution after those responsible for the GM ignition-switch product, which accounted for more than 120 deaths, were not charged for a crime in the federal criminal justice system.
Product Liability Lawsuits at the Highest Levels—the Olinde Firm
While we encourage any step which brings more awareness to the problem facing this country when it comes to defective products or harmful drug side effects which pose a threat to everyday consumers – especially if that consumer is unaware of the dangers involved. Still, we are unsure of the ultimate effectiveness of this bill. Not only does it still have to pass through both houses of Congress before ultimately becoming a law, but it also imposes criminal penalties only, which will be extremely hard to prove against executive officers in powerful and often-secret corporations.
Defective Medical Devices & Pharmaceutical Litigation Is Our Focus
At the Olinde Firm we are entirely focused on civil products liability lawsuits which seek financial compensation by those injured by dangerous products such as defective medical devices or harmful drug side effects. These lawsuits occur in our home state of Louisiana, as well as across the country in Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) and Class Action Lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a dangerous product and you believe you may have a legal right to compensation, call us for more information toll free at 1-800-587-1889. You can also setup a free, no-obligation consultation about your potential claim by filling out the information on our contact page.