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.


Big Pharma Wins First Cymbalta Withdrawal Suit

There are approximately 250 pending lawsuits against drug manufacturer Eli Lilly over its wonder-child, Cymbalta. Plaintiffs claim that the withdrawal symptoms experienced occur much more frequently than the Big Pharma giant warns. The first case went to trial this month and Big Pharma wins the first Cymbalta withdrawal suit. The drug, which brings Lilly about


$9.2M Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant Award

A Los Angeles jury took just 3.5 hours to deliver a $9.2M Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant award. The award is the first plaintiff’s victory in the hundreds of pending suits against the company for failure to warn and negligent design of a defective product. The trial lasted three weeks. Plaintiff, Gary K., developed complications


Married West Point Grads Surprised Their Homophobe Attacker

Larry Lennox-Choate III and his husband, Daniel Lennox-Choate, were spending some time in a Manhattan bodega recently when an unidentified 40-ish man “screamed anti-gay obscenities” at them and punched Daniel in the face. What happened next is proof positive you should never judge a book by its cover. The married West Point grads surprised their


Judge Ordered Remi Walden $150M Award Reduced

Judge J. Kevin Chason in Georgia’s Decatur County Superior Court is my new hero! He told Fiat Chrysler to suck it regarding their request for a new trial in the tragic fire death of little Remi Walden. In his opinion, the evidence against Fiat was “overwhelming.” The judge also ordered the Walden $150M award reduced


Cipro May Cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome

7/27/2015 Yet another drug has been linked to the painful and sometimes fatal skin condition Stevens Johnson Syndrome. This time, it’s the fluoroquinolone family, also known as quinolones. These are some of the most prescribed antibiotics in the country and the star of the group is on the hot seat. Cipro may cause Stevens Johnson


First Morcellator Cancer Suit Settled

7/26/2015 Morcellator. It’s a world that leaves a funny (as in “Eeww!”) feeling in your mouth. That’s nothing compared to what the medical instrument leaves in your body. Morcellation (shudders) can spread previously undiagnosed malignant cancer cells throughout the patients’ pelvic and abdominal cavities, which shortens the patients’ life expectancy. The first morecellator cancer suit


Zithromax May Cause Life Threatening Liver and Kidney Damage

7/23/2015 First, it was Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), potentially fatal rash, now Zithromax may cause life threatening liver and kidney damage. Zithromax (azithromycin), often called Z-pak or Zmax, is a widely used antibiotic for the treatment of bacterial infections such as pneumonia, ear infections, skin infections and tonsillitis. It’s popular due to the relatively short


First Google Self-Driving Car Injury Accident

7/22/2015 Chris Umson, the director of Google’s driverless car program, blogged earlier about the first Google self-driving car injury accident. This one, like many others, involved the Google car being rear-ended. Also like the others, it was not the driverless car’s fault. The biggest difference was that this accident produced minor injuries. The driverless car,


EEOC Sued UPS to End Discriminatory Practices Over a Beard

7/20/2015 What can “Brown” do for you? Apparently, consistently discriminate against you in the workplace if you have religious obligations that conflict with its appearance policy. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is of the opinion that UPS (the aforementioned “Brown”) is violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In fact,


EEOC Says “No!” to Workplace Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

  7/20/2015 Last Thursday, the EEOC ruled that LGBTQ employees are protected against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission based its ruling on current federal law. This rights the wrong that 28 states and the federal government have no such laws in place. In 2012, the EEOC ruled that workplace