Mississippi Injury Lawyer Blog

Mississippi Rep. Tommy Reynolds, a Democrat, joined the National Conference of State Legislatures Law and Criminal Justice committee co-chairmen, South Dakota Sen. Joni Cutler, a Republican, in backing a recent letter that encouraged other house leaders to express their "strong, bipartisan opposition" to federal medical malpractice reform because it would infringe upon states' rights, reports Julian Pecquet at Healthwatch. Healthwatch is touted as Capitol Hill's healthcare blog on their website.

The letter came in response to House Republicans efforts to pass a tort reform bill (H.R. 5) that would cap non-economic damages at $250,000. Non-economic damages include things like pain, suffering, emotional distress or mental anguish. Pecquet says legislators want the bill to pass "next week as a way to pay for repealing the health reform law's Medicare cost-cutting board" by stabilizing medical malpractice insurance rates.

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When we step through the doors of a retailer, we expect that the representation made to us by that retailer will be trustworthy, and we also expect that retailer to ensure that the products sold in that establishment are safe. However, unfortunately, this does not always turn out to be the case. As reported by the San Diego Union Tribune, the well know sports and nutrition retailer, GNC, is now under fire for selling unsafe products, and may possibly be liable for fraud as well as negligence relating to a products liability claim.

The suit was filed by Lynette Bates, a Southern California woman who bought a pre-exercise drink powder called C4 Extreme last summer. The pre-exercise drink promised "explosive workouts." According to a class action lawsuit filed this month in Los Angeles Federal Court, a substance originally created as an over the counter decongestant has been illegally and unsafely sold in widely marketed sports supplements. The compound, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, also known as DMAA, is "illegal and dangerous," according to the complaint. The lawsuit also claimed that "experts in the industry have become concerned that this potent stimulant drug will lead to serious health issues and even death."

Bates sued the retailer of the product, GNC, and Cellucor Sports Nutrition, which manufactures, distributes and markets the supplement, for "making false and unsubstantiated representations concerning the efficacy, safety and legality of C4 Extreme," among other claims. Cellucor's parent company, Woodbolt International, is also named in the suit.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune C4 Extreme is no longer manufactured with DMAA. But the substance can still be found in a variety of dietary supplements aimed at boosting physical performance or weight loss, such as Jack3d (pronounced "jacked") and OxyELITE Pro, which are sold online and at retail stores. Medical experts say there are potential health risks from consuming DMAA. "What we've seen is that DMAA in supplements has been connected to situations where the heart has gone suddenly into failure due to excessive stress," said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Continue reading "Well Known Retailer, GNC, Under Fire for Selling Possibly Dangerous Product" »