Gardasil HPV Vaccine Lawsuit

Gardasil Lawsuit Overview

Teens and young adults throughout the United States are now pursuing Gardasil lawsuits against Merck, indicating that they were left with severe pain and injuries after receiving the HPV vaccine injections, including potentially life-threatening autoimmune disorders and cancers.

According to allegations raised in Gardasil vaccine lawsuits, benefits associated with the HPV vaccine are negligible and are outweighed by the serious Gardasil risks.

Product liability lawyers provide free consultations and case evaluations to help determine whether financial compensation may be available through a Gardasil lawsuit settlement.

Latest Gardasil Lawsuit Updates

March 2023 Update: To help guide the selection of a group of representative cases that will be prepared for early trial dates in the MDL, the Court has required a Plaintiff Fact Sheet to provide information about Gardasil vaccine injury claims raised in each lawsuit.

January 2023 Update: Parties involved in the litigation approved a joint Gardasil bellwether selection plan which indicates six cases would be selected for the bellwether trials by August 5, 2024.

November 2022 Update: A group of Gardasil lawyers have been appointed to MDL leadership positions, taking certain actions during the consolidated pretrial proceedings that benefit all plaintiffs pursuing a lawsuit over side effects of the HPV vaccine. Over the coming months, the parties will engage in coordinated discovery into common issues in the litigation and the Court will establish a pretrial motions schedule.

October 2022 Update: Judge Conrad will hold an initial status conference on October 11, to meet with Gardasil vaccine lawyers involved in the litigation and discuss the organizational structure for the recently established MDL.

August 2022 Update: The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) ordered all Gardasil injury lawsuits consolidated in an MDL, centralizing the claims beforeU.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad in the Western District of North Carolina.

July 2022 Update: The JPML will hear oral arguments this month on whether to centralize all Gardasil lawsuits filed in the federal court system before one judge for coordinated discovery and pretrial rulings. A decision is expected in early August 2022.

April 2022 Update: Given common questions of fact and law raised in a growing number of lawsuits filed nationwide, a motion ha been filed to establish a Gardasil MDL (Multidistrict Litigation), which would consolidate the cases in one court for handling similar to a Gardasil class action during pretrial proceedings.

August 2020 Update: One of the first Gardasil lawsuits over autoimmune disorder side effects in the United States was filed by a Rhode Island woman, who experienced problems after receiving the injection when she was 13 years old.

Problems with Gardasil

Gardasil, and its current, updated version, Gardasil-9 are approved by the FDA as vaccines for the prevention of HPV-related cervical cancer. The FDA approved the original Gardasil formulation in June 2006, and approved Gardasil-9, the version currently in use, in December 2014, for girls ages nine through 26, and boys ages nine through 15 for the prevention of cervical, vaginal, and anal cancers, as well as genital warts.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world, infecting most sexually active people at some point in their lives. Of the 200 different strains, only about 12 to 18 are associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. In most cases, the body’s immune system handles HPV without medical assistance.

Although there were serious questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine, Gardasil injections have been widely recommended for young girls and boys before adolescence and potential sexual activity to promote “herd immunity” and prevent spread of HPV infections.

Gardasil lawsuits allege that Merck withheld information about the risks associated with the vaccine, failing to warn consumers and the medical community about potential side effects of the HPV vaccine.

Gardasil Autoimmune Side Effects

Gardasil contains a number of ingredients which are known to sometimes cause problems with the autoimmune system, including Amorphous Aluminum Hydroxyphosphate Sulfate (AAHS) and HPV LI-DNA fragments.

Critics claim Merck failed to adequately disclose the presence of these ingredients, and also claim Merck used them in the placebos given to “control” test subjects during clinical trials, leading to an inaccurate assessment of Gardasil side effects.

These additives have been linked to problems with cognitive and motor functions, autoimmune reactions, increased blood brain barrier permeability, and macrophagic myofascitis of the muscles. They are also believed to be able to block neuronal signaling, interrupt cell-to-cell communications, corrupt neuronal-glial interactions and interfere with synaptic transmissions, alter enzyme functions, impair protein functions and could alter DNA.

Multiple medical journals have published studies suggesting a strong link between the Gardasil vaccine and POTS, which is an acronym for “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome”. The condition is most known for its disruption of the autonomic nervous system’s regulation of many vital bodily functions including heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.

According to reports submitted by families nationwide, Gardasil side effects have been linked to a number of health problems, including:

• Autoimmune Diseases
• POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
• Premature Ovarian Failure
• Premature Menopause
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)
• Irregular Heartbeat/Tachycardia
• Lupus
• Neurologic Disorder
• Brain Fog or Chronic Inability to Concentrate
• Chronic Fatigue
• Chronic Pain
• Severe Headaches
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Fibromyalgia
• Nerve Damage
• Menstrual Disorders/Problems
• Gastrointestinal Issues (food intolerances, nausea, vomiting)

Gardasil Cancer Risks

Some studies suggest cervical cancer rates have increased instead of decreased where Gardasil has seen widespread use, indicating it may be contributing to higher cervical cancer rates instead of lowering them.

Participants in the clinical trials developed cervical cancer in some cases, and certain women have reported developing sudden, aggressive, forms of cervical cancer after receiving the vaccinations.

One study found that cancer rates in Britain increased 54% among young women aged 25 to 29, following introduction of Gardasil and another HPV vaccine not sold in the U.S. In addition, there has been a 16 percent increase in cervical cancer among 25- to 29-year-olds, and a 30 percent increase in 30 to 34 year-old women 13 years after Gardasil vaccinations were implemented in Australia.

Gardasil Vaccine Lawsuit Examples

Merrick Brunker Lawsuit: Filed in California state court in February 2022, Brunker alleged that problems from the Gardasil HPV vaccine surfaced within minutes of receiving the injection, causing symptoms of dizziness and fatigue. Within days, the side effects expanded to include extreme headaches, numbness and other severe symptoms that required a lumbar puncture to drain fluid buildup.

Ashley Muller Lawsuit: Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in October 2021, Muller alleged that Gardasil injections caused POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which left her with permanent pain and health problems. After receiving three Gardasil injections starting at age 19, Muller experienced symptoms of fatigue, headache, joint pain, dizziness and brain fog. As her condition worsened, she was diagnosed with various medical conditions, including POTS, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), TMF, gallbladder failure and other injuries.

Korrine Herlth Lawsuit: Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in March 2021, Herlth filed the Gardasil vaccine lawsuit over autoimmune problems that began to emerge after she received the injection as a teenager. The complaint points to a lack of evidence that the HPV vaccine even works as advertised, and indicates that it may be more likely to cause cancer in those previously exposed to HPV than prevent it.

Zacharia Otto Lawsuit: Filed in California state court in September 2020, Otto alleged that he experienced Gardasil complications as a teen boy, and was ultimately diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, mast cell activation syndrome, autonomic neuropathy, small fiber neuropathy and chronic fatigue syndrome, leaving the young man with disabilities that require a cane for short distances or wheelchair for longer distances.

Gardasil Lawyers Reviewing Cases Nationwide

As a result of Merck’s failure to thoroughly research and test Gardasil before putting it on the market, or adequately warn recipients, their parents or the medical community about the risk associated with the vaccine, Gardasil lawsuit settlement benefits may be available.

If warnings and information about the risk of Gardasil side effects had been provided, many parents may have decided against getting the vaccines, and injuries and deaths may have been avoided.