Has this community ever considered Crowd Funding a Lawsuit?

I'm not sure where this would go on this site so I put it here, but has anyone considered crowd funding a Lawsuit with this huge community to set a precedent? If you watched the Lisa Ling special you say her cal the Lawyer and it was about money. One person using their resources cannot do this but as a community this can be done. Next you need someone who is familiar with a lawsuit and how it works and the way the doctors and big pharma will fight back. The expert witness are there with Br Peter Briggin and Dr Wright. What level of support would one of have here financially if we set up a crowd funding page for one of us and got the ball rolling there? It would take about $75,000 to $100,000 to get this rolling an any good firm would take these case on medical malfeasance and malpractice for those of us who have been severely injured by our prescribers and those doctors who have c/t us or rapid tapered us and demolished our lives. This could be coordinated thru BIC?

I have been thinking of contacting a local lawyer in my area to see the best way to approach this.

I'm over it.

I want to sue the pants off the assholes so people can get treatment and live their lives.

I am down and open to any suggestions and actions.

Thanks for reaching out.

Heather Elizabeth

P.S. Congrats on getting off <3

 

Count me in! my dr would always say we would retire together...he didn't seem to think what would happen after he retired, I would still be in a mess...even after I told him I was tapering he never offered any help or suggestions (not that I would believe a word he said).

 

These doctors know what this stuff does to people and if they dont they should not be prescribing it. I know for a fact the negative facts of Benzos are taught in school. If not, I am sure they know how to read. They do have an MD! its call a practice for a reason...I am pissed but like you say, little people dont have the resources.

Stone

Count me in! my dr would always say we would retire together...he didn't seem to think what would happen after he retired, I would still be in a mess...even after I told him I was tapering he never offered any help or suggestions (not that I would believe a word he said).

 

These doctors know what this stuff does to people and if they dont they should not be prescribing it. I know for a fact the negative facts of Benzos are taught in school. If not, I am sure they know how to read. They do have an MD! its call a practice for a reason...I am pissed but like you say, little people dont have the resources.

Stone

 

I think it was at the Benzo Withdrawal Symposium that one of the doctors said they discussed benzos for about two hours in all of their medical school training. It was also pointed out that there is almost no research on the long term effects on the brain by benzos. I don't think they have a clue.

This is an anonymous forum so by definition it can’t work.

While it is an anonymous site I'm hoping this would only be directed to 'support' this effort and direct those that want to make them aware they can contribute. The point being as a collective supporting one is much stronger than all for one and one for all. We just need to win one case for other lawyers to start taking up these cases.

So I’m not sure what you’re proposing. There’s no common defendant unless there an attempt to certify a class action against manufacturers. That’s an uphill battle since the manufacturers provide warnings. A case could be made for inadequate warning, but it’s a long shot. I do see liability on the part of doctors who prescribe for longer than the manufacturers’ recommendation of 2-4 weeks. But a pool of money won’t really help in that case since the suits would be on an individual basis.

I can just hear big pharma lawyers:

 

 

They see psychiatrists so they must be crazy.

 

It’s the antidepressant/beta blocker/alcohol they are on, not the benzos.

 

It’s the doctors faults. We TOLD them not to stay on them long.

 

This is a conspiracy. How else did they get together?

 

We never told them to take the medication for muscle pain.

 

They bought extra online.

 

They didn’t taper correctly

 

Yada yada yada....it won’t happen in my lifetime in my opinion. Wishes.

 

And I would personally never blindly give my money to this in the hopes that everyone else would donate the same.

 

Trust me, I moved to the Midwest. I never mention to anyone except for one person I saw a psychiatrist because people here think you are a raving lunatic if you do. I’m sure the same in the south and these are members of a jury.

 

Just like family members don’t understand and they should, do you think perfect strangers will against a large team of Harvard educated lawyers? To big pharma, $5 million is chump change or “the cost of doing business.” Not so for us.

I can just hear big pharma lawyers:

 

 

They see psychiatrists so they must be crazy.

 

It’s the antidepressant/beta blocker/alcohol they are on, not the benzos.

 

It’s the doctors faults. We TOLD them not to stay on them long.

 

This is a conspiracy. How else did they get together?

 

We never told them to take the medication for muscle pain.

 

They bought extra online.

 

They didn’t taper correctly

 

Yada yada yada....it won’t happen in my lifetime in my opinion. Wishes.

 

And I would personally never blindly give my money to this in the hopes that everyone else would donate the same.

 

Trust me, I moved to the Midwest. I never mention to anyone except for one person I saw a psychiatrist because people here think you are a raving lunatic if you do. I’m sure the same in the south and these are members of a jury.

 

Just like family members don’t understand and they should, do you think perfect strangers will against a large team of Harvard educated lawyers? To big pharma, $5 million is chump change or “the cost of doing business.” Not so for us.

 

It's a lot to ask of people to believe in something they have never seen happen.

However, we ARE making headway in this fight, and I don't think arguing why we're crazy is hopeful.

I think it's really unnecessary and negative.

You don't have to be a part of this fight, but you also don't have to try to knock our momentum before it's even going.

Please, try to retrain your beliefs about yourself and the capabilities of others to learn based on new information.

I think a lot of people WOULD believe me if they got to hear me speak openly about this.

Because I am a real human, and not a person looking to get rich off this.

I am looking to stop future suffering for others to NOT be put on this.

And if you think Big Pharma wins before even fighting, then they do.

I on the other hand am not happy with the "we already lose" stance.

I know where that leads.

I truly hope you the best.

I hope that hope finds you and reminds you that all is not lost, and people are capable of changing.

And that we (the people) are the only ones who get to dictate change in the first place.

Heather Elizabeth

 

All crazy things are impossible to imagine until someone does them. And someone will one day. It may take a long time. I have no idea. But eventually these drugs will fall out of favor, or enough people will know what's up, or a person will get lucky with the jury.

 

And benzogirl, I wouldn't think you'd start with "a class representative" who had all those potentially excluding criteria, at least they'd: have taken one drug, for a non psychiatric reason, they taper correctly, etc etc. A model patient. And I think through the process of discovery you could find that the companies had marketed in ways that did suggest you could be on for a long time, that did suggest they were for all kinds of other things. Hell, even if you didn't win, imagine what kind of data and research you could get out of the discovery process. I actually think that's where the real gold is buried. In discovery, where all their secrets are buried.

 

Its been done with tobacco, asbestos, Agent Orange, breast implants, contraceptives, etc. I remember the tobacco one was thought to be completely impossible.

 

But I'm not a lawyer so this is all just speculation on my part. I'm sure you're right its a moon shot for now. But someday...

 

 

I can just hear big pharma lawyers:

 

 

They see psychiatrists so they must be crazy.

 

It’s the antidepressant/beta blocker/alcohol they are on, not the benzos.

 

It’s the doctors faults. We TOLD them not to stay on them long.

 

This is a conspiracy. How else did they get together?

 

We never told them to take the medication for muscle pain.

 

They bought extra online.

 

They didn’t taper correctly

 

Yada yada yada....it won’t happen in my lifetime in my opinion. Wishes.

 

And I would personally never blindly give my money to this in the hopes that everyone else would donate the same.

 

Trust me, I moved to the Midwest. I never mention to anyone except for one person I saw a psychiatrist because people here think you are a raving lunatic if you do. I’m sure the same in the south and these are members of a jury.

 

Just like family members don’t understand and they should, do you think perfect strangers will against a large team of Harvard educated lawyers? To big pharma, $5 million is chump change or “the cost of doing business.” Not so for us.

 

It's a lot to ask of people to believe in something they have never seen happen.

However, we ARE making headway in this fight, and I don't think arguing why we're crazy is hopeful.

I think it's really unnecessary and negative.

You don't have to be a part of this fight, but you also don't have to try to knock our momentum before it's even going.

Please, try to retrain your beliefs about yourself and the capabilities of others to learn based on new information.

I think a lot of people WOULD believe me if they got to hear me speak openly about this.

Because I am a real human, and not a person looking to get rich off this.

I am looking to stop future suffering for others to NOT be put on this.

And if you think Big Pharma wins before even fighting, then they do.

I on the other hand am not happy with the "we already lose" stance.

I know where that leads.

I truly hope you the best.

I hope that hope finds you and reminds you that all is not lost, and people are capable of changing.

And that we (the people) are the only ones who get to dictate change in the first place.

Heather Elizabeth

Count me in! my dr would always say we would retire together...he didn't seem to think what would happen after he retired, I would still be in a mess...even after I told him I was tapering he never offered any help or suggestions (not that I would believe a word he said).

These doctors know what this stuff does to people and if they dont they should not be prescribing it. I know for a fact the negative facts of Benzos are taught in school. If not, I am sure they know how to read. They do have an MD! its call a practice for a reason...I am pissed but like you say, little people dont have the resources.

Stone

I’m not suggesting you don’t do this. I just remember very well how poorly the class action suits against antidepressants went. It took the juries just a few hours to vote not guilty of big pharma damaging patients with these drugs.

 

The plaintiffs took the drugs as prescribed, tapered correctly and still suffered badly. The cymbalta case comes to mind. I believe there were several hundred people suing Lily. They got nowhere very fast. I am certainly one who thinks they should pay for the suffering they have caused us. But the reality is nobody but us users really understand this level of pain. Those lawyers are very smart and just make the users look bad. They dig into each person’s background and if you didn’t live a perfect life they’ll bring it up.

 

The Lisa Ling program is a prime example. Krissy and her beakers and syringes look like a meth lab in the show, Breaking Bad.

 

And who do you sue? The dozens of generics and all the brand name manufacturers? It would get unwieldy. Im just trying to give you a dose of reality from my own personal experience. As a reporter I once covered the courts and have seen this first hand. If you have as well you’d understand. I wish you the best of luck but I’m trying to forget this nightmare and get on with my life.

This is just one example

 

 

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/163425-eli-lilly-wins-third-cymbalta-withdrawal-lawsuit/

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

 

right!. and Seroquel lawsuits and then class action suits following it were done the same way.  i sure wish i could'a gotten in on those when astra-zeneca was settling those! we're talking about a lot of money. yeah, a drop in the bucket to them, but it sure helped a lot of victims to pay off some medical expenses. and gave them some much needed validation. and provided a precedent.

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

 

right!. and Seroquel lawsuits and then class action suits following it were done the same way.  i sure wish i could'a gotten in on those when astra-zeneca was settling those! we're talking about a lot of money. yeah, a drop in the bucket to them, but it sure helped a lot of victims to pay off some medical expenses. and gave them some much needed validation. and provided a precedent.

 

At what level would this suit be? Federal? State? One suit against one doctor in state court will not necessarily open the floodgates to other suits or to a class action. Nobody wants to win suits against these assholes more than me, trust me. I’m not trying to be rude, but we have to think these things through. I understand where you’re coming from, OP.  But there are jurisdictional issues, and cases will vary drastically if the suits are maintained individually against doctors. Med mal rules also vary from state to state. A class action needs a common defendant, the companies producing this shit, and a winning suit against a doctor does not translate to a class action against the manufacturers. I see the clearest liability against a doctor in a situation where the patient was prescribed for longer than 2-4 weeks contrary to the manufacturers’ recommendations. Of course, there are tons of factors that will come into play such as other meds, the p’s history, other causation issues. I do think suits can be maintained.

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

 

I hear ya.  We need a precedent first. Then a class action.  I know people have tried to sue.  I am not sure where an attorney could gather this information.  How many have tried??  I know of one person.  His attorney would not pursue this particular case.  We need a slam dunk.

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

 

I hear ya.  We need a precedent first. Then a class action.  I know people have tried to sue.  I am not sure where an attorney could gather this information.  How many have tried??  I know of one person.  His attorney would not pursue this particular case.  We need a slam dunk.

 

A suit against a doctor will not set precedent for a class action against the manufacturers.

Yes...It seems to me, people who took for 2-4 weeks with long term injury may have the basis for lawsuit against pharma.  Dr's who prescribed for longer periods and caused injury may be liable as prescribers.  Dunno.  But we need to know.

Didn’t the federal government and the states run the lawsuits against tobacco? My memory is mush, but I remember something about that. Aren’t they doing some of the same for the opioid lawsuits? Forgive my law ignorance.

This case really should be in court even though it's now been a few years:

 

https://www.salisburypost.com/2012/06/05/dr-john-barrs-license-suspended/

 

The uproar is mostly about opioids, but even this article notes that the doctor traded out benzos for sexual favors. He also got a hell of a lot of the small town Southern people medically dependent on opioids and benzos.

 

If you are wondering what the good ex-doc is doing now . . . well, he is a drug rep for a drug company. SICK!

Didn’t the federal government and the states run the lawsuits against tobacco? My memory is mush, but I remember something about that. Aren’t they doing some of the same for the opioid lawsuits? Forgive my law ignorance.

 

Yes, states can sue the manufacturer if there’s evidence of wrongdoing and harm to the public costing the state money. That is different from a med mal suit brought by an individual against a doctor.

Some posting here misunderstand what I am saying. I have deep experience in a Federal Lawsuit. I spent 4 years fighting major companies from stealing my work. I know the process, I've been thru the depositions, I know how defenses fight back trying to ruin the person's reputation. I have been there. So my point is that I have been badly injured by a doctor who had me do a 4 week taper , when if they had spent 30 minutes online any doctor would find this is not right. There is so much information out there now on how dangerous these meds are. And yet they won't look and continue to cripple patients and even kill them. So finding one case of a doctor who did this to a patient and have the community support this one case to win it, that sets a precedent for others and other lawyers will then take on these cases. But the first one needs to be funded. The cost is about $75,000 to $100,000 so if this community here and say BIC got behind one very strong case against a doctor and finacially supported them so they can do a good fight and win, this would open the doors and even for a class action after that. But you have to win one first

 

I hear ya.  We need a precedent first. Then a class action.  I know people have tried to sue.  I am not sure where an attorney could gather this information.  How many have tried??  I know of one person.  His attorney would not pursue this particular case.  We need a slam dunk.

 

A suit against a doctor will not set precedent for a class action against the manufacturers.

 

 

:thumbsup: