Heart Valve Suit Filed: A class-action lawsuit...
From Times Staff and Wire reports
Heart Valve Suit Filed: A class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of some 55,000 patients with heart valves manufactured by Shiley Inc. of Irvine, a unit of Pfizer Inc. The suit, filed Monday, contends that Shiley and Pfizer conspired to hide potential defects in the valves, whose fractures have resulted in about 250 deaths. Shiley and Pfizer deny the charges. Ervin Gonzales, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said unspecified damages could reach “billions of dollars.” The suit contends that Shiley was aware of the potential defects as early as 1978 but sold tens of thousands of the valves nonetheless.
