An attorney suing Guidant Corporation has been ordered by the Justice Department to turn over the documents he received from the company. The subpoena, part of the federal government’s investigation into the Indianapolis-based company, requires Texas attorney Bob Hilliard to turn over handwritten notes and PowerPoint slides. He obtained them from the company during preparations for a product liability case in Texas state court.
The 10 pages include notes from Fred McCoy, president of Guidant’s cardiac rhythm management division, that show a decision was made to sell inventory the executive described as having sporadic “life-threatening” defects.
“It’s consistent, bad decisions based on profit, not patient health,” Mr. Hilliard said. “The documents I received from Guidant showed they were basically making the equivalent of the Ford Pinto.”
Guidant spokesman Steve Tragash declined to comment.
All posts by Joseph H. Saunders
Joseph H. Saunders, Attorney at Law
Joseph H. Saunders: born in Montgomery, Alabama, January 31, 1953. Admitted to the California State Bar in 1981 and the Florida State Bar in 1982. Also admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
Saunders & Walker, P.A.
Saunders & Walker represents seriously injured or abused persons and the families of persons whose lives have been adversely affected by the negligence of others. We seek justice and compensation from corporations, organizations, and individuals who intentionally or negligently cause harm, injury, or death to our clients.
If you or a loved one have been injured, please contact us at (727) 579-4500 or 1-800-748-7115.
The law firm was founded in 1987 and is located in Pinellas Park, Florida were it was founded. Pinellas Park is on the west coast of Florida midway between St. Petersburg and Clearwater. A second office was opened in Bradenton, Florida in 1994.
The law firm represents individuals both in Federal and State Courts. In one Federal court case which involved civil rights and police brutality, the City of St. Petersburg paid a client of our firm the largest settlement ever by the City for any type of injury or death case. The Federal cases also involve maritime claims and products liability cases based upon diversity jurisdiction.
The State court cases include medical malpractice, automobile accident, premises liability, products liability and general negligence cases.
Mr. Saunders is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. He is an Eagle Member of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, a member of Association of Trial Lawyers of American and a member of Maritime Law Association of the United States.
Female Taser Victim on Videotape
A 22 year old female was tasered during a routine traffic stop. The police video shows the woman prior to the shooting as she was talking on her cellphone. The police officer tasered her for not complying with his request to get out of the vehicle. It’s a pretty gruesome video depiction of taser use.
Miami Priest Arrested for Sexual Abuse of Minor Under 12
The Broward Sheriff’s Office on Thursday arrested a former priest who had served parishes in South Florida for three decades on charges he sexually abused a young boy.
The Rev. Neil Doherty, 62, is the first Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Miami to be charged with sexual battery on a minor younger than 12.Alleged victims of Doherty have been coming forward ever since the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002.
Broward authorities began investigating the latest case after the victim filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami, accusing it of allowing the priest to serve at a Margate parish despite having settled an earlier lawsuit involving previous alleged child molestation by Doherty.
While at the Margate parish, the priest allegedly drugged and raped the latest victim, now 19, over a five-year period beginning
Nun Reported Father Daniel McCormack’s Sex Abuse
According to a published article in the Chicago Sun Times, a nun who worked at Chicago’s Holy Family Catholic School where Fr. Daniel McCormack used to say mass has told the newspaper that she had told Archdiocesan officials that she was concerned about McCormack’s behavior as early as the winter of 2000. The nun, who asked that her name not be used, said a fourth-grade boy at Holy Family claimed McCormack asked him to pull down his pants in the sacristy of the church when the two were alone after a Friday mass in 2000. She said she told several archdiocesan officials about the child’s allegations, both verbally and in writing, on several occasions, but her warnings went unheeded.
Drunk Driving and Car Crashes
The COLD, HARD, SOBERING FACTS about alcohol and drunk driving in the United States:
Fact: A total of 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities were recorded in 2004. That’s one death nearly every 1/2 hour in this country at the hands of someone who was drinking and driving.
Fact: Approximately 275,000 persons are injured or disfigured yearly by alcohol-impaired drivers. One third of these are children.
In 2004, out of all traffic fatalities, 32% involved a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher.
We’ve gotten MADD, SADD, and BADD but the craziness continues. Drunk driving kills! It’s time to stop the insanity.
Seven Children Killed in Fiery Florida Bus Crash
Seven children were killed in North Florida. According to law enforcement authorities, The truck hit the car from behind and pushed it into the bus, causing the car to burst into flames. All seven of the people riding in the car were killed. Their ages ranged from 15 years to 21 months, police said.
CBS News correspondent Peter King reports that the victims are all from one family with small children.
It was unclear why the children were unaccompanied.
Evidence from the scene showed that the truck, which was carrying bottled water, did not brake before hitting the car, Burroughs said.
The bus ended up 200 feet from where the car struck it, and the cab of the truck lay overturned near the scene, Burroughs said. The bus was at an approved bus stop, but it was not immediately clear whether children were getting on or off.
Chicago Priest Continued in Parish Five Months After Archdiocese Knew of Abuse
Fr. Daniel McCormack, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, was allowed to continue to abuse five months after Archdiocesan officials learned that he was abusing children at his parish! It is absolutely incomprehensible why Cardinal George would not have immediately removed the priest upon learning of the abuse in August 2005. Yet, it took a Cook County investigation to get the priest removed from the parish. According to abuse policies in the Archdiocese of Chicago, McCormack could have been removed as soon as he was accused of such criminal behavior. However, the church decided to ask another priest to “monitor” McCormack’s behavior. If this isn’t child endangerment I don’t know what is!
In Florida, Even Kids Can Get Tasered
In spite of the Florida Senate’s efforts to stop the practice, it remains legal to taser a child under the age of 16. While it defies logic, a police officer can use a Taser to subdue a child. This extreme form of behavior modification is deplored in a recent article by Alexis Colvard in the Georgia State University School newspaper.