Plaintiff Claims Yaz Side Effects Caused Her Gallbladder Removal

On October 9, 2012, a lawsuit was filed by Shelli Cabrera due to side effects from the oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella. This Yaz litigation has joined the ongoing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Bayer, the manufacturer of the medication, located in the Southern District of Illinois and overseen by the Honorable Judge David Herndon.

An MDL is designed to streamline the judicial process when there are similar complaints alleged against a common defendant.

Yaz risks include blood clot, stroke, heart arrhythmia, and sudden death

According to her complaint, Cabrera claims to have used the oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella for an number of years and stopped the medication in 2011. The plaintiff required surgery to remove her gallbladder in 2007 and claims that it was her use of Yaz that made the removal necessary.

She also claims that using the medication put her at risk for other side effects associated with these birth control drugs including blood clots, stroke, heart arrhythmia, and sudden death.

Learn more on the side effects of these oral contraceptives by clicking on the provided link.

Report advises women to seek other forms of contraception

There are currently approximately 11,000 complaints of gallbladder disease that have been filed. Other pending cases involve patients who have suffered from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots. Many of these cases have joined the Illinois MDL.

A report in the British Medical Journal recommended that women opt for alternatives to Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella when selecting an oral contraceptive due to the high number of women who developed DVT after using these products.

Following that report, more evidence came to light that such complications as embolism, stroke, and sudden death had occurred after using Yaz.

In spite of this, Bayer continued marketing their birth control pills as safe.

Plaintiff seeks $10 million

Cabrera seeks punitive, compensatory, and exemplary damages and requests an award of $10 million.

She lists multiple causes in her suit including fraud, breach of warranty, and negligence. Under the Strict Products Liability cause of action, she says that Bayer’s product is “unreasonably dangerous for its normal, intended use.”

Cabrera says that she was unaware of the risks of the contraceptives when she began taking them and alleges that Bayer knew of these dangers as early as 2002—only a year after the FDA approved Yasmin.

The plaintiff states that she will live in fear of the potential side effects from the medication for the duration of her life. The company is accused of failing to provide adequate warnings to medical professionals and the consuming public as to the risks with these drugs.

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