Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys P. Leigh O’Dell and Ted G. Meadows filed a lawsuit on April 29, 2009, on behalf of Patrick M. Lancaster of Alabama, alleging that the plaintiff suffered injuries as a result of having been implanted with a Sprint Fidelis Lead manufactured by Medtronic, Inc. The lawsuit names defendants Medtronic Inc., Medtronic Puerto Rico, Inc., and Medtronic Puerto Rico Operations Co.

The complaint incorporates by reference the relevant portions of the Master Consolidated Complaint for Individuals on file with the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota in the matter In Re MEDTRONIC, INC., SPRINT FIDELIS LEAD PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION.

According to the complaint, Lancaster received the Sprint Fidelis lead on May 10, 2007 at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As a result of the lead, Landcaster suffered injury and damages.

On October 15, 2007, Medtronic suspended the sale of its Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads after receiving reports of fatalities associated with the defibrillators. It was discovered that the Sprint Fidelis leads, or cables that connected to the devices, had fractured, causing the defibrillators to unnecessarily shock patients or fail to work all together. Since the initial recall, Medtronic has increased the number of fatalities associated with the faulty leads to 13.

Due to a Supreme Court ruling last year, manufacturers of medical devices that have been approved by the FDA are immune to lawsuits by victims harmed by those devices. Currently, consumer and patient safety groups are working to push the Medical Device Safety Act (MDSA), legislation that would restore the rights of patients who have been harmed by unsafe medical devices, such as Lancaster, to seek justice in state courts.

Read the complaint.

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