Attorney Brenda Fulmer Appointed By Federal Judge to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee For Pradaxa Lawsuits

West Palm Beach, FL – Brenda S. Fulmer, a partner in the law firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, has been appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for prosecution of more than 100 personal injury and product liability lawsuits related to the anticoagulant drug Pradaxa.

The Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee is responsible for conducting and coordinating pre-trial proceedings and advocating on behalf of plaintiffs who have experienced internal bleeding and suffered death or serious complications as a result of taking Pradaxa. Fulmer was appointed to the Committee by Chief Judge David R. Herndon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, where Pradaxa lawsuits are being coordinated.

Over the last 17 years, Fulmer has represented thousands of victims of dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. “Pradaxa is especially insidious,” she says, “because no antidote has been found to stop the internal bleeding it causes in some patients.  Many of them suffer brain hemorrhages or other uncontrollable bleeding after relatively minor falls or injuries.  So it is a privilege to speak up for the hundreds of Pradaxa victims and their families.”

Before Pradaxa was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010, warfarin – a generic drug marketed under several well-known brand names – was widely used to prevent blood clots in the legs and lungs and to alleviate atrial defibrillation (irregular heartbeats). At first, Pradaxa was heralded as far superior to warfarin. But soon after Pradaxa was introduced to the market, patients reported serious incidents of internal bleeding, experiencing symptoms such as blood in stools or urine, recurring nosebleeds, abnormally heavy menstruation or coughing up blood.  To date, more than 100 mass torts lawsuits have been filed in U.S. federal courts.

Ms. Fulmer joined Searcy Denney in 2008 after serving as a shareholder and partner in the Tampa law firm of Alley, Clark, Greiwe & Fulmer. She serves on the Board of Governors of both the American Association for Justice and the Florida Justice Association. She earned her law degree at Stetson University and an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida.

For more information about Pradaxa and Ms. Fulmer, contact Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley at 1-800-780-8607 or go to the firm’s mass torts website at www.searcymasstorts.com.