Ms. Kendall was first prescribed Accutane in January 1997, when she was twelve years old. By that time, the information provided to physicians began to warn of a possible link between Accutane and irritable bowel syndrome (IBD). The drugs warning labels included instructions to patients to stop taking the drug and consult a doctor if stomach pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding occurred.  In 1998 and 2000, the physician warnings were strengthened with regard to IBD. When Plaintiff was first prescribed Accutane, her doctor did not mention the risk of IBD because he was not aware of it.  In 1999 at a period in which Plaintiff had stopped taking Accutane, she was hospitalized for abdominal pain later diagnosed as ulcerative colitis.

Ms. Kendall filed suit in 2005, alleging that Hoffman-LaRoche alleging inadequate warnings for the drugs side-effects. Hoffaman-LaRoche raised the statute of limitations as a defense. The trial court noted that at the time Plaintiff began taking Accutane, warnings focused primarily on preventing pregnancy and suicide. The judged then concluded that by December 2003, Plainitff did not know her ulcerative colitis would be caused by Accutane, and that a reasonable person in her circumstances would not have known either. Hoffman-LaRoche appealed the jury verdict in Plaintiff’s favor. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded that because a reasonable person in Plaintiff’s situation would not have known by 2003 of the relationship between Accutane and ulcerative colitis, her lawsuit against the drugmaker was timely.

The important thing to remember is that if you are taking a prescription drug familiarize yourself with the drugs side-effects.  Talk to your doctor.  In many instances there are alternative drugs with less severe side-effects.
If you are experiencing serious side-effects, you should consult counsel immediately, as each case is fact intensive on whether or not a person experiencing side-effects has acted timely.  Don’t squander your rights.
Call Rick Woods at DWSA Law Group today for a free consultation.  (800) 664-3001.

IF YOU DON’T CALL WE CAN’T HELP!

Seat Belt Defects
There are several ways in which a seat belt can malfunction. Accidental unlatching. Another seat belt defect occurs when the belt detaches from the vehicle. Older seat belts have been associated with tearing. Shoulder harness have been known to allow occupants to “slide-out” or if improperly fitted can injure or strangle a passenger.

Accident Unlatching: Generally the seat belt buckle opens or unlatches by flying objects or inertia during an accident or sudden stop.

Belt Detaching: The seat belt dislodges from the permanent mount.

Tearing: The seat belt tears or rips during impact. This can be caused by defective material.

Ill-fitting Shoulder Harness: Due to design or improper installation, a shoulder harness may not fit properly. In this case, it can cause bodily injury to the wearer.

Currently, most states require all front seat passengers to utilize seat belts. In some states, it is also law for backseat passengers too. In addition, seat belts are used to restrain child car seats. See Child Car Seat Section and Basic Flow Car Seats and Booster Seats for additional information on product safety for these items.

Third Generation Seat Belts
The Third Generation seat belt buckle installed on certain Chrysler vehicles has been associated with accidental unlatching. A loose object or flailing body part can bump into the button and accidently unlatch the buckle during a rollover crash.

The Volvo XC60’s driver’s side seat belt detached from the anchor point during a side-impact crash test performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Volvo recalled nearly 10,000 vehicles to repair this defect.

In addition, Takata seat belts were the subject of a very large recall. These belts either failed to lock properly or would jam and not unlock after impact. More than 8 million seat belts were implicated in the recall affecting Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Ford, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu, General Motors, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Geo, GM and Chrysler.

Those who have suffered injuries as a result of an accident where a seat belt did not function properly may wish to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and mental anguish.

If you find yourself in this situation, call Rick Woods at DWSA Law Group (Daniels, Woods, Snively, Atwell Law Group, LLP) at (800) 664-3001. We are here to help. Remember if you don’t call we can’t help.

If you believe that the child support amount that you are being paid or are paying is incorrect, you can petition the court for a child support modification.  The court will review the income records of the payor and determine if there has been a change in the amount of pay warranting modification of child support.

Some do not remember, but Dean Nance stepped into a position that most, including myself, thought was an impossible one. The passing of an incredibly popular, effective and vivacious Dean, Richard Atkinson. He worked hard at his job, was loved by all and was a fund-raising machine, in addition to being a helluva nice guy and compassionate soul.

So Cynthia Nance stepped in to what I believed to be an incredibly daunting task, with impossible shoes to fill.

Well, one can never fill the shoes of Dean Atkinson, but I promise you, Cynthia Nance has left her footprints right beside his, every bit as dedicated, vivacious, compassionate, caring and effective.

I just want to personally say, “Thank You”, to Dean Cynthia Nance. She has helped, pushed and pulled my law school into a new era. I did not think that anyone could finish the work that began with Dean Atkinson and continue the standard I felt he set. I was pleased to be wrong, yet again. Dean Nance seamlessly has continued the dedication and continued to do so with class, charisma and mojo all her own.

I have no idea how you have been in two places at once, seemingly been at every single event, written likely a million personalized thank you cards, and learned to ride a motorcycle, all the while seemingly keeping your poise and sanity.

I have no idea how you have managed to be such an incredible Dean and Ambassador for THE University of Arkansas School of Law, but there is no doubt that you have been incredible.

So in response to your letter, let me say a public thank you for being such energetic and amazing Dean and friend. I feel sorry for the next person.

Sincerely,

Chad L. Atwell

At Woods, Snively & Atwell we have attorneys that handle a wide variety of cases and issues in a competent and professional manner. We tackle cases from misdemeanor criminal offenses to complex civil litigation. We are not a large firm and truly try to provide complete service, even if your case changes in complexity or nature as it progresses.

So, along the way if you simply have a question or a topic that you would like to see, please let us know. From time to time in the future, we will also invite attorneys wish to contribute to the blog, to post as well.

Overloaded with work, public defender closes office doors to new clients

He was charged under an Arkansas Statute that provided for a fine and removal from office if convicted. It also provides for “reasonable attorney” fees if Acquitted.

Of Interest are a couple of things:

1) Was the Judge acquitted under the statute? He was on 2/3 of the charges, and one was later dismissed? Will that qualify, does it apply?

2) What are “reasonable attorney” fees? In this case a bill has been submitted for $73,000.00. With a combined (there were three attorneys working on the defense) hourly rate of $775.00/Hr.

3) Which side will file the first appeal?

I decided I would give it a shot and then also add other authors who might want to contribute short thoughts or analysis as well.

So this post begins what is surely to be a very random and attention deficit disorder blog that will try and bring up or highlight things that might be of interest to others.

All questions or comments are welcome.

Our experienced attorneys represent clients in family law and divorce, automotive accidents, custody matters, business law, real estate law, criminal law, construction law, lawsuits, estate planning, employee and consumer rights and more. We serve the entire Northwest Arkansas region; no case is too big or too small! Contact us today to find out more about how we can represent you.

We represent clients in Washington County, Arkansas: Fayetteville, Springdale, West Fork, Prairie Grove, Lincoln, Farmington, Greenland, Johnson, Elm Springs; Benton County, Arkansas: Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Siloam Springs, Gentry, Pea Ridge, Cave Springs, Centerton, Bella Vista; Madison County, Arkansas: Huntsville; Carroll County, Arkansas: Eureka Springs, Berryville, and more.