Class Action/Mass Torts

When are drug ads to be believed and who is controlling their verbiage? It should be the job of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but how carefully is it overseeing drug studies versus mere puffery? Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, examines some recent cases through the eyes of Prevagen, a highly advertised drug that touts memory improvement. To read the column that appeared in the November-December issue of…

Life hacks, cooking tips, fashion dos and don’ts, dance crazes, and everything else can be found on TikTok. The social video giant prides itself on the ability to educate its users. Case in point: The hashtag #TikTokTaughtMe has 10.7 billion views. As social media content has evolved from static photos to entertaining, short-form videos, so have concerns over the privacy of its users. In August 2022, a federal judge in Illinois gave final approval for…

Vincent I. Ratulowski, represented by Clifford Law Offices attorneys Robert Clifford and Shannon McNulty, filed a class-action lawsuit on January 7, 2022, against PNC Bank claiming the bank has breached its contract by keeping unearned Guaranteed Automobile Protection fees. Ratulowski’s lawsuit alleges that PNC knowingly keeps millions of dollars in fees every year even when customers have paid off their financial agreements early. Under current law, when a customer pays off his/her auto contract early,…

A federal district court judge presiding over the Society Insurance Business Interruption Coverage MDL, which involves the potential applicability of insurance coverage for restaurants suffering financial losses due to COVID, ruled on Monday, February 22, 2021, that the cases may move forward in determining whether their insurance policies cover such losses. The Hon. Edmond E. Chang, U.S. District Court Judge of the Northern District of Illinois, ruled in a 31-page written opinion that plaintiffs in…

The sad story of the toxic Sterigenics plant in west suburban Willowbrook continues with the recent discovery of an increased amount of the cancer-causing chemical in the air near the sterilization facility. Since last August when news broke that air quality monitors detected high concentrations of ethylene oxide along with higher than expected cancer rates among people in those downwind residential neighborhoods, lawsuits have attempted to hold the company accountable for its inexcusable actions. Clifford…

Everyone knows their pet is priceless. And they are. Dogs, cats, birds and other pets become family members. How many stories have you heard in the news that when tragedy strikes, the pet’s owner was able to save their pet from disaster. And many owners will spare no expense to make their furry or scaly friend comfortable for the unconditional love they receive in return. The American Pet Products Association estimated that in the United…

Robert A. Clifford, co-lead counsel on the case, pictured with Kristofer Riddle, associate at the firm, who assisted on the matter. On Sept. 4, 2018, Plaintiffs and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (“State Farm”) announce they have reached a compromise agreement to resolve the Hale v. State Farm class action litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The Hale litigation arose from the earlier class action lawsuit,…

  On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, a New Jersey state jury slammed Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier with combined punitive damages of $80 million after finding that the pharmaceutical giant acted with reckless indifference in selling asbestos-containing talcum powder that contributed to a man’s development of mesothelioma. After awarding last week a $37 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and the company’s French-based talc supplier, Imerys Talc America Inc. for its talcum powder…

After a $37 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and the company’s French-based talc supplier, Imerys Talc America, for its talcum powder causing cancer, comes news that the product may contain cancer-causing asbestos particles that the company failed to disclose to the public. Some consumers have been using Johnson & Johnson talc products for years, even using it for babies because the marketing of the product condoned it as safe. Years later, comes word that…