http://www.breggin.com/classactionmore.html
"Ritalin Class Action Suits--
Major Plaintiff’s Attorneys in Tobacco and Asbestos Suits Charge Ritalin Manufacturer, the American Psychiatric Association, and CHADD with Fraud and Conspiracy
Class action suits for fraud and conspiracy in over-promoting the stimulant medication Ritalin (methylphenidate) have been filed in three states by leading tobacco and asbestos trial attorneys. The first suit was brought in a Texas court by the Dallas law firm, Waters and Kraus, and will be nationwide in scope. Waters and Kraus are leaders in major asbestos cases. Two additional suits have now been filed in federal court in California and New Jersey. Plaintiffs’ attorney Richard Scruggs of Pascagoula, Miss., is leading the attorneys bringing the new suits. Mr. Scruggs is best known for his work in the tobacco litigation and helped negotiate the landmark settlements. Additional attorneys active in the new Ritalin cases include members of the “Castano” group, described by the Wall Street Journal as “a network of plaintiffs’ lawyers that have filed suits against the tobacco industry on behalf of smokers.”
The work of Peter R. Breggin, M.D., including his book Talking Back to Ritalin (Common Courage Press, 1998) inspired these legal suits. His two more recent books are Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (co-authored by David Cohen, PhD, Perseus Books, 1999) and Reclaiming Our Children (Perseus Books, 2000). Dr. Breggin is the founder and director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology in Bethesda, Maryland.
Three national organizations are named as defendants: (1) Novartis (formerly Ciba Geigy), the manufacturer of Ritalin, (2) CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), a parents’ organization that is partially funded by drug companies, and (3) the American Psychiatric Association. The suit charges that Novartis, CHADD, and the American Psychiatric Association committed fraud in conspiring to over-promote the diagnosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its treatment with the stimulant drug, Ritalin.
The law suits charge that the drug company “deliberately, intentionally, and negligently promoted the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD and sales of Ritalin through its promotional literature and through its training of sales representatives. In so doing, despite knowledge of such problems and/or adverse reactions, Defendants willfully failed to address or provide adequate information to consumers, doctors, and/or schools concerning many significant hazards of methylphenidate…”
The suit also charges the Ritalin manufacturer with “Actively supporting groups such as Defendant CHADD, both financially and with other means, so that such organizations would promote and support (as a supposed neutral party) the ever-increasing implementation of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis as well as directly increasing Ritalin sales.”
Although the suit was motivated by concern about the over-medicating of America’s children, the class action is not restricted to children. Adults who have purchased Ritalin for children or for themselves in the last four years are potentially eligible to participate in the suit. The suit seeks compensation for those who paid for Ritalin, regardless of whether or not the medication caused any harm or damage.
Anyone interested in joining the class action suit, or in obtaining more information about its legal basis, should contact attorneys C. Andrew Waters and Peter Kraus (phone: 214 357 6244). The website for the suits is
http://www.ritalinfraud.com.
Peter R. Breggin, M.D. may be contacted about background issues concerning Ritalin, ADHD, Novartis, CHADD and the American Psychiatric Association. Further information is available from his website at:
http://www.breggin.com or by telephoning Dr. Breggin (301) 652-5580.