Ortho Evra makers pay $1.25 Million in Death of 14-Year-Old
Johnson & Johnson settled a lawsuit in an agreement to pay $1.25 million dollars to the survivors of Alycia Brown, a victim of two blood clots in her lungs due to the use of the Ortho Evra transdermal birth control patch. Her lawyer, Janet Abaray, could not further elucidate because of a confidentiality agreement. Alycia used the patch for several weeks prior to the appearance of the blood clots in May of 2004. 5 million women are thought to be using the patch of which 2400 are filing or have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson claiming strokes or clots in their legs or lungs. The company has already settled dozens of cases before trial. The Brown agreement highlights how much J&J is willing to pay to possibly avoid shedding light on the company’s safety concerns about the patch before market release in 2001. Details of the Brown agreement were found in a file of a lawsuit by the family of Zakiya Kennedy, who was 18 when she died on April 2, 2004, after using the patch. Court records show that a confidential settlement was reached in that case on Oct. 11. Another trial is scheduled for trial in St. Louis which involves the death of Ashley Lewis, who was 17 when she died in late 2003 after using the patch.
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