Jay W. Belle Isle, Author at Legal Reader

Before becoming LegalReader's Editor-in-Chief, Jay W. Belle Isle worked as a freelance copywriter with clients on four continents. Jay has a degree in Business Administration from Cleary University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Jay has also worked as a contracts administrator for a DOD contractor specializing in vehicle armor.

Adam Slater, attorney for the plaintiffs, Elizabeth and Tad Hrymoc, holds the product Prolift, which the plaintiffs say is faulty. Photo: Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com; caption by NorthJersey.com.

Woman Awarded $15M for Pelvic Mesh Injuries

December 27, 2017

Earlier this month, a New Jersey jury found in favor of a woman who had been injured by pelvic mesh. The jury awarded Elizabeth Hrymoc, 71, $15M in her suit against Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) subsidiary Ethicon, the mesh manufacturer. The $15M verdict consisted of $4M for pain and suffering, $1M for loss of consortium (conjugal affection with her spouse), and $10M in punitive damages, meant to send the defendants a clear message that their behavior is unacceptable.

Heartbeat on a monitor; image courtesy of www.usaherald.com.

Xarelto Jury Delivers $28M Verdict for Plaintiff

December 11, 2017

Last week, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Bayer AG had the first loss in the many Xarelto bleeding risk lawsuits. The Big Pharma duo has so far won the first three federal court cases. The Philadelphia state court jury handed down a $27.8M verdict for the plaintiffs, finding the companies didn’t adequately warn doctors and patients of the increased risk of internal bleeding with Xarelto use. The damages award is broken down into $1.8M in compensatory damages and $26M in punitive damages. The companies are already planning an appeal.

Blister pack of dollars instead of medicine; image courtesy of www.renegadetribune.com.

How to Make a Billion Dollars in the Pharmaceutical Industry

November 20, 2017

Our friends at ClassAction.com recently published an excellent piece on the “profits before patients” paradigm and its impact on the opioid crisis in America, explaining steps Big Pharma takes to make mega-profits from unsuspecting patients. They have kindly offered to share an excerpt for our readers. A link to the complete article on their site appears at the end of this piece.

Doctor with mouth taped shut; image courtesy of www.nutritionsquared.com.

Ethicon Hernia Physiomesh Parties Square Off over Contacting Treating Physicians

November 9, 2017

The latest development in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) over Ethicon’s Physiomesh for hernia treatment involves the parties squaring off over who – if anyone – is allowed to have ex parte contact with the plaintiffs’ treating physicians. What, exactly, is ex parte contact and why are the parties fighting over it?

Androgel; image courtesy of Daniel Acker/Bloomberg.com.

AbbVie Appeals $140M AndroGel Verdict

November 7, 2017

In early October, a Chicago federal jury reached a verdict in favor of Mr. Jeffrey Konrad in his suit against Big Pharma giant AbbVie, agreeing with Mr. Konrad’s allegations that the company’s testosterone replacement drug, AndroGel, caused his heart attack. The jury gave Mr. Konrad $140,000.00 in compensatory damages and $140M in punitive damages. AbbVie promised to appeal, and it made good on that promise just a few days ago.

People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas August 27, 2017. (Photo: Rick Wilking/REUTERS)

Your Home or Your 1st Amendment Rights? Texans Forced to Choose Following Harvey

November 3, 2017

Residents of Dickinson, Texas recently got a bit of an unpleasant surprise in the form of a bizarre clause in the city’s Hurricane Harvey Repair Grant Application and Agreement.

Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder on a store shelf; image courtesy of www.healthyfoodhouse.com.

Two Large Talc-Ovarian Cancer Verdicts Reversed

October 23, 2017

The latest happenings in the ongoing talc-ovarian cancer suits against Johnson & Johnson aren’t good news, particularly for two plaintiffs whose cases were already decided. The corporation recently succeeded in its efforts to have two of the larger verdicts (one of which is the largest verdict) reversed.

A home destroyed by Harvey; image courtesy of www.cnn.com.

After Harvey, Texans Slammed by New Storm: Delayed Insurance Claims

October 18, 2017

You pay your premiums faithfully, are never late, and bought into the promises made by your home insurer that you would be protected in the event of an emergency. Along comes a hurricane of epic proportions – Harvey had 130mph sustained winds, an enormous storm surge, and dropped several feet of rain in a relatively short period – and you lose everything. “But,” you think, “at least I’m insured. Everything will be fine.” Sadly, that’s not proving to be the case for many people. Delayed insurance claims are the new storm slamming Texans.

Excerpt: Potential Pitfalls of a Bayer-Monsanto Merger

September 27, 2017

I was recently contacted by a fellow writer about a piece published on the potential Bayer-Monsanto merger. It’s such an excellent, and in-depth, look at the issue that I asked him if I could publish an excerpt here. He graciously agreed. This is a potential merger that has far-reaching and negative effects for us all. As the piece says, the Bayer-Monsanto merger is truly a marriage made in Hell.

Victoza box; image courtesy of www.stltoday.com.

Novo Nordisk Settled with DOJ for $58.65 Million over Victoza Diabetes Drug

September 20, 2017

Earlier this month, Dutch pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk settled eight suits, brought by the Department of Justice, claiming that the company violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and the False Claims Act (FCA). The DOJ asserted that the company had misbranded its popular Type II diabetes drug, Victoza, by failing to comply with an “FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).” The company agreed to the settlement of $58.65M. That amount includes disgorgement (repayment of illegally-earned profits) of $12.15M for the FDCA violations, which the DOJ claimed took place from 2010 to 2012, and a $46.5M payment for the FCA violations. The latter, according to the DOJ, took place from 2010 to 2014.

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