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Town Hall Meetings Set for Chula Vista Residents To Address Cell Phone Tax Settlement Following the recent $8 million settlement of a class action lawsuit between wireless phone users and the City of Chula Vista, a series of Town Hall Meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Mondays, May 20, June 17 and July 14, to discuss eligibility for rebates available for Chula Vista residents. To be held at the Civic Center Library (365 F Street, Chula Vista), the meetings will explain specifically how citizens can apply for and receive the cash refunds. Counsel and representatives – English and Spanish speaking – will be on hand to assist in answering questions and filling out claim forms. The refunds are available to Chula Vista wireless phone users who paid taxes on their wireless phone bills from April 2010 through April 2013. A valid claim must be filed to get payment. Claims must be filed no later than July 31, 2013. For more information, click here.
May 8, 2013 - da Vinci Robotic Surgical System's manufacturer, Intuitive Surgical, issued an "urgent medical device notification" warning that one of the instruments used with the da Vinci robotic surgical system may crack and cause burns while operating inside the patient.
April 30, 2013 - An $8 million dollar settlement has been preliminarily approved by a San Diego court between the City of Chula Vista, California and residents of that city who use wireless phones. Click here for more information.
June 27, 2012 - F.D.A. Hearing Today to Focus on Hip Replacements 
January 31, 2012 - Pfizer Recalls Birth Control Pills Because of Packaging Mishap Pfizer recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) for customers in the U.S. market. An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. Click here to see the FDA recall notice.
June 30, 2011 - Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Bank of America Related to Ponzi Scheme
Bank of America was named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of hundreds of LA homeowners and investors who lost millions of dollars in a highly complex Ponzi scheme run by one of Los Angeles’ most notorious fraud operators, Juan Rangel. The lawsuit, filed by Capretz & Associates and the law firms of Pearson, Simon, Warshaw & Penny, LLP, and Girardi & Keese, alleges that Bank of America employees as well as bank management were aware or should have been aware of the Ponzi scheme and despite such knowledge provided banking services to Juan Rangel and his associates. Notably, Dony Gonzalez, a former Bank of America branch manager was indicted and pled guilty to receipt of bribes by Juan Rangel. The lawsuit alleges that from about November 2007 to July 2008, Rangel used his firm, Financial Plus Investments, as well as other financial companies he owned, to defraud middle-class working families through investment, mortgage and foreclosure rescue schemes that netted Rangel about $30 million. Rangel’s firms shut down in July 2008 and Rangel was arrested by federal agents in August 2008. Also named as a defendant in the class action lawsuit is Pablo Araque, who provided accounting services to Financial Plus. Araque has been indicted and is currently scheduled to go to trial in February 2012. To view a copy of the Complaint that was filed, click here. Medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs undergo rigorous testing and must receive pre-market approval from the FDA before they are available to the public. Unfortunately, all too often, defects and severe side effects that may or may not have been latent during testing and trials create hazardous products. On Ringler Radio, host Larry Cohen welcomes colleague and co-host Ann Marie VonBank and guest, Attorney James T. Capretz, to discuss the current litigation against the makers of some of the most dangerous drugs and medical devices.
Johnson & Johnson and its medical device subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics, recalled two acetabular cup hip replacement systems because of their high rate of failures and new data showing a higher number of patients needing a second hip replacement. The recall was for the ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System. Data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales showed that 1 out of every 8 people that have received a hip replacement with devices supplied by DePuy Orthopedic may suffer a hip replacement failure and require additional surgery. The recall asks for physicians to monitor their patients more closely. For more information click here.
According to a Zimmer announcement, it was suspending sales of its Duron Acetabular Hip Implants after some doctors have complained that the device, a hip socket known as the Durom cup, was failing in their patients, who then had to undergo replacement surgery. Zimmer said that it is updating its product labeling with more detailed surgical implant instructions for surgeons and also will require surgeons to undergo a special training program. Capretz & Associates is investigating claims on behalf of patients who have experienced a failure of their Zimmer hip implant and required a revision surgery to correct the problem. If you experienced an early failure of your Zimmer hip implant that required you to undergo a revision surgery, please contact our office for a free legal consult at
Consumer watchgroup Public Citizen sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for failing to act on its petition to withdraw Darvon, Darvocet and all drugs containing propoxyphene gradually from the market as is now required in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Public Citizen’s complaint argues that the FDA is violating the law and putting patients at risk. In its 2006 petition, Public Citizen told the FDA that Propoxyphene is physically and psychologically addictive, is no more effective than safer alternatives and has been associated with more than 2,000 accidental deaths in America since 1981. For more information, click here. To read the complaint, click here.
December 2006 - Capretz & Associates is pleased to report the December preliminary approval of a $40 million dollar settlement of a California class action lawsuit that it initiated against the City of San Diego on behalf of the residents of the city. The state court action was brought with a couple of notable San Diego law firms as the result of the residents having been allegedly overcharged for sewer assessment fees for a period of ten years. Bank of America was named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of hundreds of LA homeowners and investors who lost millions of dollars in a highly complex Ponzi scheme run by one of Los Angeles’ most notorious fraud operators, Juan Rangel. The lawsuit, filed by Capretz & Associates and the law firms of Pearson, Simon, Warshaw & Penny, LLP, and Girardi & Keese, alleges that Bank of America employees as well as bank management were aware or should have been aware of the Ponzi scheme and despite such knowledge provided banking services to Juan Rangel and his associates. Notably, Dony Gonzalez, a former Bank of America branch manager was indicted and pled guilty to receipt of bribes by Juan Rangel. The lawsuit alleges that from about November 2007 to July 2008, Rangel used his firm, Financial Plus Investments, as well as other financial companies he owned, to defraud middle-class working families through investment, mortgage and foreclosure rescue schemes that netted Rangel about $30 million. Rangel’s firms shut down in July 2008 and Rangel was arrested by federal agents in August 2008. Also named as a defendant in the class action lawsuit is Pablo Araque, who provided accounting services to Financial Plus. Araquehas been indicted and is currently scheduled to go to trial in February 2012. |
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