Before becoming LegalReader's Editor-in-Chief, Jay W. Belle Isle worked as a freelance copywriter with clients on four continents. Jay has a degree in Business Administration from Cleary University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Jay has also worked as a contracts administrator for a DOD contractor specializing in vehicle armor.


Did Bayer Violate FDA Rules Regarding Essure?

Over 25,000 women (and many men, too!) around the U.S. are holding their collective breath waiting for a federal judge in Philadelphia to decide whether five suits against Big Pharma giant Bayer will proceed. The focus of the cases: did Bayer violate FDA rules regarding Essure? If the cases move forward and the plaintiffs win,


Institutional Investors Prepare to Sue VW for Lost Share Value

Aus der Bratpfanne ins Feuer (out of the frying pan, into the fire) for Volkswagen. The beleaguered automaker is now facing a derivative lawsuit on its home soil as 66 institutional investors prepare to sue VW for lost share value resulting from the recent emissions scandal. According to Klaus Nieding of Nieding & Barth, the


Claybrook: DOT’s “Proactive” Safety Principles Worthless

Former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) chief Joan Claybrook issued a statement on Friday, January 15 criticizing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s collaboration with the auto industry on “Proactive Safety Principles.” According to Claybrook: DOT’s “Proactive” Safety Principles are worthless.


Fix Rejected – Volkswagen Back to the Drawing Board

Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said, “Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up. They need to make it right.” CARB rejected the latest proposed engine fix as “incomplete,” sending Volkswagen back to the drawing board one day before VW CEO Matthias


Takata Airbag Recall Numbers Very Likely to Grow

Yesterday, Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, advised that the Takata airbag recall numbers “very likely to grow, perhaps by a lot.” So far, the recall impacts over 19M vehicles produced by 11 different companies. Rosekind said, “The fact that this crisis festered for so long. That some made efforts to


Dangerous Devices: Bard IVC Filters and Bayer Essure

As promised, this second installment of the Bard Recovery and G2 series filter story takes a look at one man’s experiences. I’ll also take a look at Bard’s and the FDA’s responses to this issue and compare them to those made by Bayer and the agency in the Essure issue. It’s interesting to see the similarities between these two dangerous devices: Bard IVC filters and Bayer Essure.


Bard Blood Clot Filters – Company Chose Profits Over Patients

Bard is back in the news regarding its IVC filters and it’s looking pretty bad for the medical device manufacturer. Recent discoveries show that when it comes to Bard blood clot filters – company chose profits over patients. NBC News recently got confidential company records that show Bard was aware of potentially deadly problems with


Honda Confirmed the Ninth Takata Airbag Death

Last week, Honda confirmed the ninth Takata airbag death, this one in a crash involving a Honda Accord in July 2015. This is the eighth confirmed Takata airbag-related death in the U.S. and the first one to occur since April 2015. Honda cooperated with regulators in an inspection of the parts involved and “confirmed that the Takata driver’s front airbag inflator ruptured.” The company stated that the “injuries related to this airbag inflator rupture likely resulted in the tragic death of the underage driver.”


Essure Story – Kim Lira Huddleston

The video is about 30 minutes long and well worth the time. I find many things about her to be remarkable, but perhaps the biggest thing is her desire to help others who are also suffering. It’s such a priority for her that she made this video shortly before leaving for the hospital to have her hysterectomy. Here then is Essure Story – Kim Lira Huddleston.


Waters vs. Women: Plastic Beads and PET Fibers

The Act’s passage is a good thing for the environment, as these plastic beads are destructive to our lakes. Essure, Bayer’s “permanent” birth control device, contains polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers. These fibers are destructive to the human body, yet were approved for use in Essure, a permanent implant. It seems to boil down to waters vs. women: plastic beads and PET fibers. Now, environmental protection is a great thing, but so is protecting patient lives.