Deaf Girl's Family Sues Cochlear Ear Implants For $7.25M

VIDEO: Louisville jury punishes company with $7.25 million verdict for selling Meade County girl defective ear implants that shocked her. An electrical short caused an 8-year-old girl to be thrown to the ground, vomiting and convulsing. The shocks happened two more times until the device was disconnected.



Courier-journal.com: LOUISVILLE, KY - Born Deaf, Breanna Sadler of Vine Grove, Ky., had a cochlear ear device implanted in her head in 2006, when she was 4 years old. Four years later, an electrical short from the device shocked her so violently that she was thrown to the ground, vomiting and convulsing.



After she was shocked two more times, the device had to be removed from her skull and replaced with a competitor’s model in an open-head surgery that took more than seven hours.



Breanna’s parents sued the manufacturer, Advance Bionics of Valencia, Calif., accusing the company of continuing to sell the device after executives knew it was leaking and defective. On Tuesday a U.S. District Court jury in Louisville agreed, awarding Breanna, now 11, and her parents $7.25 million in damages.



In the first of about 40 lawsuits filed nationally to go to trial, the jury said the company should pay $6.25 million in punitive damages alone for recklessly disregarding patient safety.



The Sadlers’ lawyers presented evidence that Advance Bionics executives delayed disclosing the defect so they could sell more devices and get more money when the company was sold. They “chose to ignore risks and focus on profits, ” the attorneys said in a brief.



About 4,000 of the devices have been implanted worldwide, and about 1,000 have failed, according to lead plaintiff’s counsel Tim Edwards, who estimated that dozens of patients in the Louisville area are “walking around with the devices in their head that have failed or will fail.” ...READ MORE: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130418/NEWS10/304180041/Louisville-jury-awards-girl-7-2-million-hearing-aid-gave-her-shocks

Advanced Bionics HiResolution Bionic Ear System.

USATODAY LOUISVILLE, KY - A federal jury has awarded $7.25 million in damages to an 11-year-old girl who suffered severe electric shocks from a defective cochlear-ear implant that has been inserted in 4,000 people most of Deaf children.



Born Deaf, Breanna Sadler of Vine Grove, Ky., had a cochlear ear device implanted in her head in 2006, when she was 4 years old. Four years later, an electrical short shocked her so violently that she was thrown to the ground, vomiting and convulsing.



After she was shocked two more times, the device had to be removed from her skull and replaced with a competitor’s model in an open-head surgery that took more than seven hours.



Her parents sued the manufacturer, Advance Bionics of Valencia, Calif., and on Tuesday a U.S. District Court jury here awarded Breanna, now 11, and her parents the money.



In the first of about 40 lawsuits filed nationally to go to trial, the jury said the company should pay $6.25 million in punitive damages alone for recklessly disregarding patient safety by continuing to sell the device after company officials knew it was leaking and defective.



The Sadlers’ lawyers presented evidence that Advance Bionics executives delayed disclosing the defect so they could sell more devices and get more money when the company was sold. They ” chose to ignore risks and focus on profits,” the lawyers said in a brief.



About 4,000 of the devices have been implanted worldwide, and about 1,000 have failed, according to lead plaintiff’s counsel Tim Edwards of Memphis. ...READ MORE: http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2094397



Related Hearing Parents With Deaf Children:

Interview With Hearing Parents Of A Deaf Son

Educate Hearing Parents of Deaf Children

Early Language Acquisition of Deaf Babies

Deaf Awareness: One Deaf Child

Deaf Culture - Have We Cured Deafness ?

American Sign Language For Babies & Toddlers

Cochlear Implants Is NOT A Cure !

Cochlear Business Is Dirty Business!

Why Is It Important To Learn Sign At Birth For Deaf Child ?

Educating Hearing People About The Deaf World

Deaf Girl Dies of Bacterial by Cochlear Implant

Deaf News: An Omaha girl died of bacterial meningitis over the weekend after deteriorating very quickly.



OMAHA, NEB - Katie Engle, 7, was a second-grader at Washington Elementary School. Her mother, Roxanne, said her daughter came home school on Friday not feeling well. She was dead the next day.



The first symptom a headache showed up a few days earlier. Katie was admitted to a hospital on Friday. Engle said her daughter didn't have the other symptoms associated with bacterial meningitis, which include vomiting, fever and lethargy, until she got to the hospital.



Doctors said bacterial meningitis is not contagious. They believe it may have been caused by Katie's cochlear implant. They said it could have been prevented with a vaccination... Read more: Girl Dies of Bacterial Meningitis -www.ketv.com



Cochlear Implants Are A Form Of Child Abuse



On the surface, cochlear implants sound like a promising medical solution to the problems surrounding hearing loss or total deafness. A cochlear implant uses existing nerves and electronic signals to override damaged auditory nerves, thus restoring a sense of hearing to the recipient. However, this technology has also caused serious divisions within the Deaf community concerning the hearing society's position on deafness in general. A number of members of the Deaf community choose to view their Deaf status as a subculture of society, in the same sense as a Hispanic person would embrace his or her Hispanic culture.



Deafness is not a handicap per se, but a shared experience which gives the Deaf community its unique cultural identity. To members of this Deaf subculture, cochlear implants are considered disrespectful and insulting, since the medical community views deafness as a handicap which must be treated or corrected: http://www.cochlearwar.com/myths_and_facts.html.



Certain factions of the Deaf community also believe a Deaf person's ability to live a full and meaningful life is not compromised by his or her deafness, so the suggestion that cochlear implants provide advantages over a Deaf lifestyle is shortsighted and insensitive.



Many Deaf people cope very well with their deafness, learning sign language and lip reading and adapting their work and home environments to accommodate their loss of hearing. Perhaps the cochlear implant is only for the MONEY as the dirty business? Cochlear Business Is Dirty Business! with captions.



Another controversy surrounding cochlear implants and the Deaf community is the safety and effectiveness of the procedure. Cochlear implantation involves major surgery in an area of the body filled with delicate nerves which control facial movements. One mistake during surgery could cause long-term facial paralysis, also and it is might be a risk to cochlear implant users where the thunderstorms approaching, Cochlear Implant User Struck By Lightning.



Cochlear implants can also destroy any remaining healthy auditory nerves, which means a Deaf person could lose all remnants of natural hearing which may have helped them adjust to a Deaf lifestyle. Cochlear implants require the recipient to undergo significant fine-tuning sessions, and success can vary widely from recipient to recipient. The controversy over cochlear implants often pits hearing parents against Deaf parents when it comes to raising their Deaf children in a hearing world. Many Deaf parents would prefer to raise their Deaf child in a Deaf culture, including the use of sign language and lip reading. Hearing parents who are not familiar with the Deaf community may opt for the cochlear implant surgery to correct their Deaf child's perceived handicap, Cochlear Implant Cruelty.



The result may be a Deaf child who can partially hear, or a hearing child with a Deaf cultural heritage. Either way, the child may face social ostracism from both communities if the parents do not consider the long-term effects of cochlear implant surgery. Not all members of Deaf community view cochlear implants as an unnecessary procedure, but hearing parents facing a difficult decision concerning a Deaf child may want to research both sides of the controversy before committing to cochlear implant surgery. Hearing impairment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_impairment



What Is the Leading Cause of Child Abandonment?



History of Abandonment/Abuse - History tends to repeat itself and this is especially true of abuse and neglect patterns. Parents who experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment at the hands of someone when they were a child are more likely to repeat the pattern and abuse, neglect or abandon their own children. UNICEF estimates that 13 million children worldwide have been abandoned by both parents for various reasons, abuse and neglect among them. Watch the video in behavioral problems for not learning in sign language and oppression: Alone In A Hearing World.



Handicap/Illness of Child - A child born with a handicap, birth defect or chronic illness has a higher chance of being abandoned by their parents. Since infants and children are needy to begin with, parents living with a child with a chronic condition may not be able to cope with the increased demands of their child. Like parents who live in poverty, these parents believe their child will be better off without them and abandon these child to the foster care system or to live with other relatives.



Behavioral Problems - All children experience behavior problems as they grow and learn about the world around them. For some parents, their child's misbehavior is a source of extreme stress they are unable to handle. Other parents have children with extreme, even criminal, behavior that they are unable or unwilling to control. These children are at an increased risk of being removed from their parent's care or having their parents find alternative placement situations for them: Alone In A Hearing World.



STOP to abusive the childrens from the quacks from the profits!



Cochlear Implants Failure... Lawsuits...Call Lawyer... Cochlear Implant Lawyer for Advanced Bionics and Clarion Devices. Get a free lawsuit review for Advanced Bionics cochlear implants and earlier Clarion models by completing the form on this page. A Deaf attorney is available to review your information and can discuss it by videophone (VP). The lawyers of Weitz and, Luxenberg P.C. have expanded litigation against Advanced Bionics related to defective Advanced bionics cochlear implants implanted in young children and adults. http://www.cochlear-implant-lawyer.com

AG Bell & Cochlear Implant Companies

Deaf Advocates responses on issue of the Advanced Bionics and Cochlear Americas are featured on the AG Bell Association front page as being their Circle Alliance. Cochlear Americas was in the news yesterday as the Dept of Justice announced it has been found guilty of kickbacks and must pay $880,000.



Blog has past quotes from Advanced Bionics and Cochlear Americas explaining what their role in AG Bell Association's Circle Alliance has been. A plea to AG Bell Association to reconsider who it keeps company with.



AFA Petition for an Independent Investigation of CIs: http://www.petitiononline.com/AFA62509/petition.html



Dept of Justice announcement of the settlement against Cochlear Americas: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-civ-673.html



Notice of the suits against Advanced Bionics: http://www.weitzlux.com/failed-cochlearimplants_1937570.html



In March I had vlogged about Advanced Bionics being the top banner on the AG Bell Homepage. Advanced Bionics had been sued by a law firm which has a Deaf lawyer who has a CI but was representing cases of Deaf adults and children who had gotten shocks and other adverse reactions to failed CIs manufactured by Advanced Bionics due to moisture leaks and faulty CIs.



Since that time AG Bell has removed Advanced Bionics from its top banner. Great news. Perhaps the cochlear implant is only for the MONEY as the dirty business? as seen on Cochlear Business Is Dirty Business! with captioned.

Warning To Cochlear Implant Users

VIDEO [CC] - The storytelling of the cochlear implant system failures for the users.



If you travel consider which company you use. Your dreams could be destroyed. Caution I am making this video because some of you may be considering a Cochlear Implant for yourself or a child. As a Cochlear Implant Recipient, I think the following video is important for you to watch before making a decision on which implant to receive.

Bear with me as I give you a A brief history of my hearing loss. Born hearing and after a case of the measles when I was 10, I developed a progressive hearing loss which left profoundly deaf by the age of 20 I used sign language interpreters in college and at work. A TTY and other assistive listening devices. Eventually my aduilogist said nothing more can help there was no residual hearing left and I should consider a cochlear implant. I began the process of searching and selected Nucleus 24. The reason I went with this company was because of the World Wide Service they could provide. My surgery went fine, and I was activated and after three months of aural rehabilitation I was able to use the telephone. After 1 year my life was completely changed.



Sounds good so far huh? Here is the catch. Got my dream job working 10 months a year in Spain. Everything was going well until my Freedom Processor conked out. When you are traveling in a another country, you cannot access the Cochlear Store USA. I went to have my Freedom repaired locally here in Spain. GUESS WHAT. If you were not implanted in Spain, they say they cannot help you. OK GOT IT I can't get help here. I will buy a new processor from the USA and have it shipped to Spain. Again, my audiologist coordinated everything maped it and shipped it to me in Spain. IT WAS STOPPED in Madrid by customs,,,, why? Because only one company in Spain can provide a processor. It gets even more interesting. I asked how much a processor was to buy in Spain. I was told 11,000 USD. However from the USD it was only 6,000 USD. The company in Spain suggested I fly to the United States if I wanted service.



It has been over a month since I have had a processor that will allow me to do the work that I have dreamed of doing. Consider if you ever wanted to travel, or maybe your child might want to be a foreign exchange student ,, think of all the dreams and possibilities that could suddenly be taken away from you. I am at a point now where I am about to lose everything I have worked so hard to achieve. Don't let this happen to your child or loved one.