Abraham Jewett  |  March 29, 2022

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

box of gardasil. vaccines to fight or prevent cervical cancer in humans.
(Photo Credit: Yellyana_H/Shutterstock)

Gardasil Vaccine Lawsuits Overview: 

  • Who: Darby Hendrix and Ken and Shaun Wingerter separately filed class action lawsuits against Merck. 
  • Why: Hendrix and the Wingerters claim Merck deceived the public and regulatory authorities about the dangers of its Gardasil vaccine. 
  • Where: The lawsuits were filed in Georgia federal court. 

A pair of lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of the Gardasil vaccine over claims it caused two teenagers to develop autoimmune disorders. 

The plaintiffs in both cases claim Merck, which developed the Gardasil vaccine, is deceiving both the public and regulators about its safety and gains billions of dollars in profits each year by doing so. 

Plaintiff Darby Hendrix claims she ended up having to drop out of school after she contracted an autoimmune disorder she alleges was from the Gardasil vaccine. 

Hendrix says she was 14 when she took the Gardasil vaccine in 2017, and, within days of receiving the shot, began suffering adverse health effects such as developing a rash, having panic attacks and feeling weak and sedated. 

Hendrix symptoms’ got worse to the point where she would frequently faint and began to experience migraines, joint pain and gastrointestinal issues, among other things, according to the lawsuit. 

A specialist would go on to diagnose Hendrix with multiple autoimmune disorders that she alleges were caused by taking the Gardasil vaccine, according to the lawsuit. 

“Plaintiff was unable to engage in normal activities that a normal young person would enjoy,” Hendrix’s lawsuit states. “Plaintiff had been a dancer for 13 years. Following her vaccination, plaintiff was forced to stop dancing. She dropped out of school. This condition likewise prevents her from being able to maintain a job.”

Merck’s Gardasil Vaccine Caused ‘Chronic’ Symptoms In Teen

Plaintiffs Ken and Shaun Wingerter, meanwhile, claim their otherwise-healthy teenage daughter, H.W., developed “chronic” and “severe” symptoms after receiving the Gardasil vaccine at the age of 13 in August 2018. 

The Wingerters claim their daughter began experiencing adverse effects within weeks of getting vaccinated and was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

“H.W. continues to suffer from PoTS, brain fog, heavy fatigue, anxiety, racing heart rate, shortness of breath, nightmares, joint pain and emotional suffering,” the Wingerter’s lawsuit states.

The Wingerters further claim that their daughter now has to be homeschooled due to her health problems and say she lives in fear “that she may die.” 

Both Hendrix and the Wingerters claim Merck rushed the Gardasil vaccine out without doing the necessary studies needed to assure it was safe. 

Hendrix and the Wingerter’s claim Merck was in need of a new best-selling product after it was forced to pull the popular painkiller Vioxx from shelves in 2005 after it was discovered it caused cardiovascular issues. 

Further, Hendrix and the Wingerters claim Merck created a false panic over cervical cancer in young women to drive up sales of the Gardasil vaccine. 

“Merck knows and actively conceals the fact that Gardasil can cause a constellation of serious adverse reactions and gruesome diseases, including autoimmune diseases, and death in some recipients,” the lawsuits state. “Gardasil today is wreaking havoc on a substantial swath of an entire generation of children and young adults on a worldwide scale.”

Gardasil was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine for girls as young as 9 years old soon after, according to the lawsuits. 

Hendrix and Wingerter claim Merck is guilty of fraud, breach of express warranty, negligence and strict liability for failure to warn and manufacturing defect. 

Plaintiffs are both demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages. 

A class action lawsuit was filed against Merck in 2013 by a widow who claimed her husband’s death was caused by its type-2 diabetes drug Janumet. 

Have you or your child received the Gardasil vaccine? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Christopher L. Coffin, Tracy L. Turner and Jessica Perez Reynolds of Pendley Baudin & Coffin LLP.

The Gardasil Vaccine Lawsuits are Wingerter v. Merck & Co., Inc., et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-01178, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; Hendrix v. Merck & Co., Inc., et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-01171, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.


Don’t Miss Out!

Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!


Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.

39 thoughts onGardasil Class Actions Claim Vaccine Cause Autoimmune Disorders

  1. Howard Adam says:

    My daughter also received the Guardisil vaccine at 14 (here in Canada) and suffered all those symptoms in the above article for over a decade. From being an exceptional ballet dancer, a biathlete, a (very young) glider pilot, a hiker and swimmer, to not being able to function a normal life. Now 24, she still continues to suffer in the same way every day. She can’t concentrate, suffers from the full spectrum of migraines (sound, light, sever headaches), days in bed, lethargy, no energy, let along not able to go to university (as a self taught straight A student) or hold down a full time job.

  2. Paula Sanders says:

    Please contact

  3. Samantha Luce says:

    I received the gardasail vaccines in 2006 and now I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and a severe auto immune disease which has affected my life horribly and cant even work now! Im ONLY 33!!!

  4. Samantha Hartzog says:

    My son received vaccine and shortly after developed stomach issues which tuned into a celiac / gluten intolerance lifelong issue.

  5. Dotti Baier says:

    My daughter received the vaccine from Merck and been suffering with an autoimmune disorder called Mastocytosis. She has been intubated about 30 times with anaphylaxis due to a gluten allergy which has now become an autoimmune disorder which sends her to the ER on a regular basis. We want to know if there is a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of Guardisil . My daughter has been unable to work for 2 years due to allergic reactions effecting

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.