Monday, June 17, 2013

Tisi and Hawal Win $5 Million Verdict in Gadolinium Trial

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) March 26, 2013

Two of the Summit Councils newest members, Christopher V. Tisi and William Hawal, won a $ 5 million verdict for their clients, Paul and Karen Decker, in the first-ever trial involving gadolinium and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, also called NSF. On Friday, March 22, a jury decided in favor of the Deckers, after a 17-day trial proved that GE Healthcare was aware of the dangers of Omniscan, which has long been linked to NSF, a debilitating skin disease that leaves people unable to move.


We applaud Paul and Karen Decker's courage in helping expose the public-safety risks that GE took, Christopher Tisi said of this monumental decision. Like the Deckers, we are pleased that the jury demanded GE take responsibility for the injuries their actions caused. We hope a successful resolution of this case will provide the help the Deckers need in caring for Mr. Decker."


Sixty-one-year-old retiree Paul Decker was stricken with NSF after receiving just one dose of Omniscan, a gadolinium-based contrast agent for MRI procedures, during heart tests conducted in 2005. Paul now receives 24-hour care from his wife, as NSF has left him immobile and completely dependent on assistance from others. The verdict was reached after the Deckers attorneys were able to successfully prove that GE Healthcare withheld important studies and FDA evidence that chronicled the dangers of Omniscan.


Additionally, according to court documents, the Deckers attorneys were able to counter GE Healthcares claims that the company spent considerable money and time in researching NSF by citing that the company, a division of General Electric, had failed to aid in developing a cure for the disease. GE Healthcare and similar companies have faced approximately 1,000 lawsuits involving contrast agents such as Omniscan; however, this was the first case that was not settled instead went to verdict.


The Deckers attorneys claimed that this was one of just a handful of cases involving MRI contrast dyes that remain unresolved. The case is "Paul Decker and Karen Decker v. GE Healthcare Inc.," No. 1:12-gd-50004-DAP in U.S. District Court for Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division.


Christopher V. Tisi is a partner at the law firm of Ashcraft & Gerel LLP in Washington DC. Mr. Tisi is a national leader in major pharmaceutical litigation. Mr. Tisi currently serves as the co-chair of the Plaintiffs Discovery Committee for In Re: Gadolinium Based Contrast Agent Litigation. He has previously won numerous significant jury verdicts for his clients against major pharmaceutical companies including the manufacturers of the diabetes drug Rezulin.


William Hawal represents the law firm of Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber LLP in Cleveland. Mr. Hawal was elected president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocate in 2012. Recognized as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Ohio by the American Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. Hawal was one of the lead attorneys conducting discovery in the Federal Multidistrict Litigation concerning GE Healthcares liability in Omniscans role as a cause of NSF and related diseases.


About The Summit Council:


The Summit Council is an exclusive group of today's top civil justice attorneys in the United States who are committed to the highest levels of trial advocacy, to obtaining justice for individuals and families who have been hurt by corporate wrongdoing, and to the protection of the civil justice system. Membership in the Summit Council is by invitation only. Membership criteria includes at least one ten million dollar verdict, at least three verdicts in excess of one million dollars, and proven leadership in civil justice advocacy.


For further information about the Summit Council visit http://www.TheSummitCouncil.com.









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