Gardasil vaccine: Two complaints filed in Washington Federal Claims court

Mar 15 2010

Anapol Schwartz attorneys Lawrence Cohan and Melissa Fry Hague recently filed two Gardasil vaccine complaints – one on behalf of a Kensington, Calif., family, whose 15-year old daughter died after suffering from severe adverse reactions, and another on behalf of a 19-year old Lapeer, Mich., woman, who has a chronic, autoimmune disorder. The cases, filed in The Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., seek recovery under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

“Vaccines are certainly a critical part of our public health program, and all required vaccines should be received. However, in the case of optional vaccines, like Gardasil, it’s vital to talk to your physician about whether the benefits outweigh the risks”

“Our two cases represent an increasing number of recent, adverse reaction reports we’re seeing in young women who have received the Gardasil vaccine. The outcomes in these matters have been horrific,” says co-lead counsel Cohan, a New Jersey Certified Civil Trial Attorney representing more than 50 consumers with Gardasil claims.

First approved in 2006, Gardasil is designed to protect women and girls from several of the human papillomavirus (HPV) strains likely to cause genital warts and cervical cancer – the second most common cancer among women.

In Tetlock v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Jennifer Tetlock received the third in the series of the Gardasil vaccine and began to experience progressive weakness in her body. Soon after, she developed muscle atrophy of the lower extremities and right upper extremity weakness with tingling and numbness. Suffering from a progressing neurodegenerative disorder, she rapidly deteriorated, became confined to a wheelchair and ultimately passed away two years post-vaccination.

In Freese v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, plaintiff Monica Freese received the Gardasil vaccine along with a meningitis vaccine. A couple weeks later, Freese began feeling numbness and tingling in her hands and toes. After a series of doctor visits and increased leg weakness, she was diagnosed with acute Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Despite brief improvement and intense physical therapy, Freese suffered a relapse and continues to experience severe neurological difficulties.

“Vaccines are certainly a critical part of our public health program, and all required vaccines should be received. However, in the case of optional vaccines, like Gardasil, it’s vital to talk to your physician about whether the benefits outweigh the risks,” states Cohan, who has been handling complex plaintiff’s cases for 30 years.

For more on information on Gardasil and other vaccine related litigation, contact 1-866-735-2792.