Gardasil HPV Vaccination Caused Seizures, Fainting and Other Side Effects for Teen: Lawsuit

The side effects from Gardasil HPV vaccination caused to New York woman to experience syncope and non-epileptic seizures as a teen, according to a lawsuit recently filed against the manufacturer for failing to adequately warn patients and the medical community about the potential risks.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Elaina Bouw in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on June 28, naming the Gardasil vaccine manufacturer Merck & Co., Inc. as the defendant.

Gardasil was first introduced in 2006, for vaccination against HPV infections, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the later development of cervical cancer. The injection has been promoted for use among both young girls and boys before sexual activity, as a safe and effective vaccination to prevent the development of cervical cancer among women.

Although families and medical providers were led to believe Gardasil was safe and that there were few serious HPV vaccination side effects, a number of problems have reported in recent years, and Merck now faces nearly 100 Gardasil lawsuits alleging that users were left with severe and debilitating autoimmune problems, including POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), premature ovarian failure, seizures and other debilitating complications, which have emerged shortly after receiving the injection. Plaintiffs claim that these injuries could have been avoided if the drug maker had adequately researched the HPV vaccine and disclosed the potential risks.

Bouw, of New York, received a Gardasil HPV vaccination when she was 18 in July 2020. Shortly after, she began experiencing numbness, fainting episodes known as syncope, and seizures.

“Plaintiff began having almost daily seizures, sometimes multiple times a day,” the lawsuit notes. “The seizures were violent and resulted in Plaintiff hitting her head, she would thrash around, unable to breathe, and she would scratch at her throat and face.”

The lawsuit indicates Bouw was seen by multiple doctors for vertigo, fainting, irregular heart rate, insomnia, panic attacks, anxiety, and other complications from the Gardasil HPV vaccination.

Bouw indicates Merck knew about these problems, as numerous other patients who received the Gardasil HPV vaccination suffered similar autoimmune, autonomic and neurological problems. However the company failed to warn doctors or patients about these potential risks, and failed to take action to make the vaccine safer or tell doctors what to look out for as possible signs of serious side effects.

The lawsuit presents claims of negligence, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, breach of express warranty and common law fraud.

July 2023 Gardasil Lawsuit Update

The case brought by Bouw will be consolidated with all other similar lawsuits filed over the HPV vaccine in the federal court system, which have been centralized as part of a Gardasil MDL (multidistrict litigation) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Given common questions of fact and law presented in the HPV vaccine lawsuits, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad is presiding over coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings, which is expected to involve a series of early bellwether trials designed to help gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation.

While the parties work to prepare cases for trial, Gardasil injury lawyers are continuing to investigate and file new lawsuits for individuals who experienced a variety of complications from the HPV vaccine, 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)

Following coordinated discovery and any bellwether trials in the federal MDL, if the parties fail to reach Gardasil lawsuit settlements or another resolution for the litigation, Judge Conrad may later establish a process to begin remanding each individual claim back to U.S. District Courts nationwide for individual trial dates in the future.