Fla. Woman Hits Bayer With Yaz Lawsuit

Plaintiff Fawn Ligon of Florida has filed a Yaz lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, alleging that as a result of false advertising, she has sustained “severe and permanent personal injuries” from the birth control pill.

Ligon was prescribed Yaz by her doctor and took it from July 2002 to September 2010. Over the course of that time, and as a result of taking Yaz, the “Plaintiff has suffered injuries including, but not limited to, blood clots, pulmonary embolism, DVT’s, bladder problems, pain and swelling in my legs, permanent lung damage and permanent leg and vein damage; permanent injuries and disability; and the need for long-term medical care and treatment and/or chronic use of medications that pose significant risks to her health,” according to her Yaz lawsuit.

It wasn’t until long after the discovery of these injuries that Ligon learned that they could have been caused by her birth control.

Yasmin, and its sister drug Yaz, have been linked to deadly blood clots and related strokes. Yasmin was once one of Bayer’s most popular drugs. Made up of drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, Yasmin was dubbed a “fourth generation” birth control pill, so it didn’t undertake the same rigors of testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Additionally, it was marketed as better than “third generation” birth control pills of the 1990s, claiming not only effectiveness, but touting the ability to improve a woman’s skin and her sex life. Millions of women bought into this messaging, but sadly found that not only was it not true, but Yaz had serious side effects.

Previously, government agencies were forced to step in when it was charged that Bayer was over-promoting the benefits of Yasmin with its Simple Style Program, and Bayer had to change advertising tactics and stop the Program, which targeted women with the inflated add on benefits of the drug.

Now, Bayer faces thousands of similar Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits, and many of the claims echo Ligon’s. The FDA’s adverse event database includes a staggering number of serious events reports for injuries that have been attributed to the ingestion of Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella.

The numerous Yasmin lawsuits include allegations that women suffered blood clots, heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms and even strokes. While all oral contraceptive pills are associated with a risk of blood clot problems, it has been alleged that Yasmin and related drugs have a much higher risk of clotting. All of these injuries have minimal red flags, and the plaintiffs all say they weren’t properly warned about Yasmin hazards.

As part of the federal court system, the Yasmin claims are part of a Yasmin multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Southern Illinois. It’s currently the biggest MDL in the entire country that has the most active cases. While Ligon is filing her Yaz lawsuit independently, she has the potential to join the MDL facing Bayer.

An MDL is a type of group lawsuit, similar to a class action lawsuit. MDLs and class action lawsuits allow a group of people to allege that they have suffered similar harm at the hands of the same defendant. Group legal action, like MDLs and class action lawsuits, are designed to streamline the legal process and prevent the legal system, plaintiffs, and defendants from having to deal with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of individual lawsuits. In an individual Yasmin lawsuit like Ligon’s, it can take much longer to reach a resolution.

Ligon is suing Bayer for negligence, design and manufacturing defect, defective warning, failure to issue a timely post-sale warning, and breach of warranty.

The Yaz lawsuit is Fawn Ligon v. Bayer, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-20004-DRH-PMF 2100, in the Circuit Court of the 20th Judicial Circuit, Lee County, Florida.

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If you or someone you know suffered a birth control blood clot injury such as a stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism, you have legal options. See if you qualify for compensation by submitting your information for a free and confidential case evaluation:

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