The effectiveness of chemotherapy is undeniable, particularly when it comes to breast cancer treatment. Being able to halt the production of cancerous cells in early-stage or metastatic breast cancer can help the patient in getting an upper hand when it comes to fighting this invasive disease.
However, while chemotherapy may produce positive results, there is also a long list of side effects, ranging from short-term to permanent, that accompany the treatment. Taxotere (Docetaxel) is a specific chemotherapy drug that can cause epiphora, or excessive tearing from the eyes, in patients who were prescribed it.
If you or a loved one are experiencing extremely watery eyes during or after chemotherapy treatment, then you may qualify to file a personal injury claim due to Taxotere. The national Taxotere lawsuit lawyers at Hotze Runkle PLLC want to fight for the compensation that is rightfully owed to you because of the manufacturer’s negligence.
Symptoms That May Qualify You for a Chemotherapy Tearing Lawsuit
Research has shown that Taxotere can block a patient’s tear ducts, which results in tears spilling over the eyelids that resemble crying because they can’t be drained properly through the ducts. Mild blockage can cause frequent tearing, while a complete blockage will result in a full-on overflow of tears in the patient. Besides the fact that this is unsettling and uncomfortable, the constant tearing can cause other side effects such as:
- Sharp pain around the eyes
- Enlarged blood vessels
- Redness
- Soreness
- Eyelid swelling
- Blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Sudden loss of vision
- Symptoms continue to worsen rather than improve
It is also worth noting that in a study published in 2014 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), it stated that up to 64% of Taxotere patients were found likely to have epiphora. There are other complications patients noted experiencing with their eyesight besides epiphora, which include:
- Blurred or dulled vision
- Clouding of the lens of the eye
- Loss of areas of vision (cystoid macular edema)
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye infections
- Dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
- Swollen eyelids
If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, getting a diagnosis from your primary care physician or an eye specialist is a good place to start. Then, once you have documented medical proof, seek out a Taxotere lawyer to see if you have a case. There, we can look at the evidence to determine if you have a solid case against Sanofi-Aventis regarding their failure to inform you of the chemotherapy tearing caused by their drug.
Keep in mind that while it may seem that joining a class-action lawsuit would be more likely to bring you justice, opting for a personal injury lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis often reaps better results.
Hotze Runkle PLLC: National Taxotere Lawsuit Lawyers Ready to Take On Sanofi-Aventis for You
The life-altering consequences of epiphora can affect your mental health as well as your physical health. Going after the manufacturer for minimized mentions of the severity tearing side effects have, or for falsely marketing Taxotere, is a case you deserve to win. You weren’t expecting to conquer cancer and then fall subject to another uncomfortable condition that could stay with you for life.
The attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC don’t believe you have to settle for this compromise. When it comes to Taxotere cases, they’ve fought hard to represent clients injured in product liability cases and plan to continue serving those subject to the unknown side effects they’re learning to live with thanks to Sanofi-Aventis.
Contact Our National Taxotere Lawsuit Lawyers to Determine If You have an Excessive Tearing Case.
Get in Touch With Hotze Runkle PLLC Now
If you have encountered negative, life-changing side effects after treatment with a defective drug, you may potentially qualify to file a defective drug lawsuit. However, the exact specifics of your situation should be fully understood before you decide to make a claim.
Should you have a legitimate claim on your hands, you will have an opportunity to secure compensation for your injuries. If it can be proven that the pharmaceutical company failed to uphold their responsibilities to you, then they are legally liable for the damages you suffered as a result of the defective drug.
However, fighting against a million-dollar company can be tricky. That’s why the Texas Taxotere lawsuit lawyers of Hotze Runkle PLLC are available to protect your rights if you’ve been the victim of excessive and permanent tearing (epiphora) as a result of being treated with the chemotherapy drug Taxotere.
When Can I File for a Defective Drug Lawsuit?
One of the most commonly asked questions we hear at Lapeze & Johns is, “When can I file a defective drug lawsuit?” In order to effectively file a claim, it must be proven that:
1. The pharmaceutical company failed to warn consumers of defects.
There are instances where drug manufacturers do not comply with their duty to warn the public about side effects. This can include the drug’s label not informing the consumer what side effects should be expected from taking the drug.
Failure to warn continues to be of the most common arguments used to file a claim. In an attempt to make profits, a company may fail to include all the side effects of a drug. This leaves patients exposed to dangerous repercussions.
2. The product is designed with flaws.
Advancements in science and technology have led to improved medical innovations. Unfortunately, this also raises the possibility of defects in design. These defects can lead to serious injuries for patients. If a pharmaceutical company creates a drug that has inherent defects, then they can be held legally liable for the pain they have caused you.
3. The drug is manufactured improperly.
There are times when a company can come across an issue in the manufacturing process. This may tarnish the drug’s safety, while also putting patients’ health at risk.
The Challenges that Come with Fighting Pharmaceutical Companies
Pharmaceutical companies will generally have strong defenses in place, prepared for defective drug lawsuits. If you decide to take your claim to trial, the company’s lawyer might try to use the following legal notions against you:
- Conducive negligence implying that your injury is your own fault
- Assumption of risk factor
- Product alteration
- The statute of limitation
Why Seeking the Right Representation Can Help
Considering the fact that these cases are complex, seeking the right representation is essential to your chances of securing compensation and bringing faulty companies to justice.
Cases against big pharmaceuticals can leave you caught up in court processes for years. Our lawyers can evaluate a settlement, saving you time and stress.
As a victim, you deserve to have your voice heard. Even if you defeat your cancer, you should be able to go back to your quality of life without feeling inclined to accept negative, uncomfortable changes.
If you are one of the many victims of permanent and irreversible tearing caused by the chemotherapy drug, Taxotere, you can count on the Texas defective drug lawyers of Hotze Runkle PLLC.
If you wish to schedule a consultation over the phone or via video conferencing as precautionary measures to pause the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are happy to discuss your preferred alternative options for communication.
Call Hotze Runkle PLLC at (877) 919-0830 as soon as possible for your FREE case review.
If you have suffered debilitating side effects as a result of being treated with a defective drug, you may be overwhelmed by the extent of your medical bills, even if your injuries were caused by a product that promised to make you feel better.
Since you won’t have the compensation you need until the end of the claims process and your health care provider may not be willing to wait, you’re going to have to find ways to manage your medical bills while your claim is pending.
Our Texas Taxotere lawsuit attorneys of Hotze Runkle PLLC are ready to answer any questions you may have regarding medical bills and other expenses if you have fallen victim to excessive tearing (epiphora) after being treated with the chemotherapy drug Taxotere.
Health Insurance Coverage
Your first resource to help cover the costs should be through your health insurance. Your health insurance may wait to see the extent of your injuries a few weeks after treatment before they reimburse you for the medical bills you’ve already paid and been charged for.
Give your health insurance information to your local hospital, emergency room and other health care providers from where you sought treatment.
Medical and Hospital Liens with Personal Injury Claims
Your personal injury claim is related to the costs of the healthcare you receive. Hiring an experienced lawyer can help you keep tabs of all of your medical care as a portion of the settlement negotiation (or trial litigation).
What typically occurs is that your health insurer will apply a hospital lien or medical lien towards your personal injury claim. To put it into simpler terms, the insurer’s statement that they helped you pay for your health care, means they should receive reimbursement from your settlement or verdict.
Therefore, your settlement should have the medical lien, the attorney’s fees, and court fees all taken out of the final total when you get it. If things run smoothly, you should expect no medical bills and sufficient funds to pay for any potential costs in the future.
About Lawsuit Loans
If your injury makes you lose money or face unanticipated charges, you may be wondering if a lawsuit loan would help to ease your financial stress while waiting for your lawsuit to be resolved.
How a lawsuit loan works is that a lawsuit funding company purchases your rights to all or part of your compensation in exchange for income you can use while your case is still pending. If this loan is meant to help relieve financial stress, you may discover that you and your lawyer will have more time to negotiate with the defendant. If the defendant doesn’t offer a fair settlement, a lawsuit loan might give you the financial support to go to trial.
However, lawsuit loans tend to be on the pricey side, not all cases are eligible for a loan, they don’t always function like other loans, and it could be challenging to find a lender you can trust.
Because lawsuit lenders are selective about which cases they accept, plaintiffs oftentimes report having to go after five or six different companies before they find one willing to fund their case.
Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations in Texas for medical bill debt is four years. A medical care provider (e.g. hospital) can possibly sue for unpaid medical bills and put a lien towards your home, but only in the case that they take it to court and win the case before the time frame expires.
Note that this statute is not one to be confused with the statute of limitations for a product liability claim.
Let the Texas Taxotere lawsuit attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC assist you!
Medical bills can be overwhelming when your injury is already causing you to suffer significantly. This is why hiring the right attorney who knows just how to navigate the complicated medical system is so important.
If you or a loved one have been a victim of permanent and irreversible tearing due to treatment with the chemotherapy drug, Taxotere, and need guidance when dealing with insurance providers and medical bills, the Texas defective drug lawyers of Hotze Runkle PLLC can be of assistance.
Contact Hotze Runkle PLLC at (877) 919-0830 for a FREE case review.
The discovery process is an important process that enables a lawyer to gather the right evidence in order to strengthen the value of your personal injury claim. This is especially true in cases dealing with the side effects of defective drugs made by pharmaceutical companies that put profits over people.
Such was the case when the manufacturer of the chemotherapy drug Taxotere–known as Sanofi-Aventis–failed to inform cancer patients about its negative side effects like chemotherapy tearing for decades
If you or a loved one has developed excessive tearing after being treated with Taxotere, you may be eligible for compensation. The makers of Taxotere should be held responsible for the harm their drug caused, and the National Taxotere lawsuit attorneys of Hotze Runkle PLLC aim to do just that by presenting solid evidence during the discovery process in order klonopin online to help your case succeed.
What Is the Discovery Process?
The discovery process takes place prior to the start of the trial, giving both parties the chance to assemble information on the case. Discovery is important because it gives your attorney a chance to evaluate which evidence and strategies may be utilized in your favor.
When you initially file a lawsuit, the relevant information is not always easily accessible. However, the more evidence you obtain, the more you can support the claim. The discovery process allows you and your lawyer to gather as much information as possible from the pharmaceutical manufacturer through a request of production, interrogatories, and other sources to solidify your claim.
How Do Lawyers Gather Discovery Materials?
Attorneys on either side of the courtroom may follow a number of approaches to secure necessary information, such as:
- Requests for Production (RFP) – RFPs are filed to acquire documents (e.g. electronic or paper files). RFPs need comprehensive details covering what documents a party wants to be made public by the opposing side.
- Requests for Admission (RFA) – An RFA is a written statement that is given to the opposing party to push them to either admit or negate some information. RFAs are generally not meant to establish a confession of guilt, but rather to push the opposing party to admit that certain facts are true or that a document is legitimate.
- Interrogatories – These are written questions that a party is obligated to respond to in writing and “under oath.”
- Depositions – These are oral, in-person interrogations. One side asks the other questions, and the other side has to give their answer. “Depos” are another part of the discovery process that is performed under oath.
What Information Can Be Found?
Throughout the discovery process, both sides will go after any vital information related to the claim in an effort to prove or disprove that Taxotere was the cause of your excessive tearing, even if it may not seem immediately relevant. The kind of information that a lawyer may request in discovery includes:
- Witness Testimony — What a witness saw, did, or heard that is pertinent to the situation.
- Witness History — A witness’s professional, educational, and personal background.
- Other Injured Parties — The identities of people who may have knowledge of the life-changing side effects caused by the drug.
- Specific Dialogue — Things that were mentioned at a specific time or place about the injury and product.
- Procedural Business Information — Information about the business’s operations process.
- Documentation — Documents relating to the claim, the injury, or the drug itself.
What Information Cannot Be Requested?
There are particular pieces of information that can’t be requested as a part of the discovery process. Limitations exist to prevent private information from being shared with the public, including:
- Confidential Conversations — Exchanges between attorneys and clients, doctors and patients, religious advisors and advisees, and spouses can be withheld.
- Personal Information — Details regarding health problems, sexuality, spirituality, religious beliefs, and immediate family relationships do not have to be disclosed.
- Third-Party Information — information that, if revealed, would go against the privacy rights of third parties cannot be compelled.
Discover your Legal Options with Dependable Taxotere Lawyers of Hotze Runkle PLLC Today
If you were harmed after being treated with the chemotherapy drug Taxotere, you may be eligible for compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses. You can count on our National Taxotere lawsuit attorneys to give you and your case the attention you need to seek justice from the manufacturers of the faulty drug, Taxotere.