Zoloft Lawsuit Filed by Nevada Mother Over Heart Birth Defects
By Andrea Gressman
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York a Nevada mother, Valentine Wolsey, filed a Zoloft birth defect lawsuit on behalf of her minor child, C.W. The Zoloft lawsuit was filed against Pfizer, the makers of the antidepressant Zoloft on August 24, 2012. The Zoloft lawsuit charges that Pfizer was to blame for multiple congenital heart problems that the child was born with as a result of the mother taking Zoloft during her pregnancy.
During the mother’s pregnancy, Ms. Wolsey was prescribed Zoloft by her doctor, according to the Zoloft birth defect lawsuit. The Zoloft lawsuit goes on to state that subsequently, in March 2005, the child was born with “multiple congenital cardiac birth defects, including but not limited to ventricle septal defect, craniosynostosis, and scaphoid cephalic head shape with premature fusion of the sagittal.”
Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuit Claims Pfizer Either Knew or Should Have Known About Side Effects
Zoloft, also known as sertraline, is classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Many birth defects such as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), cleft lip and cleft palate, neural tube defects, congenital cardiac defects, and limb abnormalities such as club foot have been linked Zoloft when taken during pregnancy.
According to Ms. Wolsey’s Zoloft birth defect lawsuit, by 2005 Pfizer knew or should have known that Zoloft use after the 20th week of pregnancy was linked to PPHN. The plaintiffs Zoloft goes on to charge that by 2007 Pfizer knew or should have known that Zoloft was linked to anencephaly (part of the brain or skull missing), craniosynostosis (fused or closed bones in the baby’s skull), omphalocele (a condition in which the intestines and liver protrude outside the body), and septal heart defects.
The Nevada mother is seeking compensation and punitive damages from Pfizer. Counts of negligence, failure to warn, fraud and strict products liability are brought by her Zoloft lawsuit.
Other Zoloft Lawsuits
On April17, 2012, the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation established a Zoloft Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in order to consolidate numerous Zoloft lawsuits filed against Pfizer by the many mothers who had given birth to children with congenital abnormalities after taking Zoloft during pregnancy. The Zoloft Multi-District Litigation is consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.
File a Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuit
If your child or a child that you know experienced any type of birth defect due to Zoloft being taken during the pregnancy it is important to contact a qualified Zoloft birth defect lawyer to learn more about your legal rights.
Updated December 3rd, 2012
All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
Cellphone wrong-number robocalls could be worth $500-$1,500 per violation of the federal TCPA
December 12, 2025 | TCPA Class Action Lawsuits
