Gardasil Injection Lawsuit Claims HPV Vaccine Caused Neurological and Autonomic Dysfunctions

A New York woman has filed a Gardasil injection lawsuit, indicating she suffered neurological and autonomic system dysfunction side effects caused by the HPV vaccine.

Emily Cafarella filed the complaint (PDF) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on January 19, claiming the manufacturer, Merck & Co. deceived medical professionals, federal regulators and patients about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

Gardasil was first introduced in 2006 as a vaccine for prevention of HPV infections, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the later development of cervical cancer. Following years of aggressive marketing by the drug maker, the vaccine has been commonly administered to young girls and boys before adolescence and potential sexual activity.

Although the HPV vaccine has been promoted as safe, teens and young adults have reported experiencing a variety of problems caused by Gardasil injections, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), premature ovarian failure, premature menopause, seizures and other autoimmune disorders, which emerged shortly after receiving the injection.

Cafarella joins a growing number of individuals now pursuing a Gardasil HPV vaccine lawsuit against Merck, each indicating they were diagnosed with conditions that were never disclosed to parents or the medical community, even though the manufacturer knew or should have known about the risks.

The complaint indicates Cafarella was 18 years old when she received her first Gardasil injection in June 2018. She then went on to receive a total of three injections of the HPV vaccine between June 2018 and May 2019.

Cafarella indicates her first two Gardasil injections occurred without incident, but after the third injection of Gardasil she began experiencing muscle aches, pains and fatigue, as well as irregular and spotty menstrual cycles. Due to the increasingly debilitating pain she was forced to quit her university dance team.

“As the months progressed, so did Plaintiff’s symptoms. She was seen by multiple physicians and specialists for her complaints which now included severe UTI infections, one of which led to hospitalization, a diagnosis of adenomyosis, and interstitial cystitis,” the lawsuit states. “She experienced tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension. She continues to suffer from abnormal periods, chronic fatigue, seronegative rheumatoid arthritis and has positive markers for Sjogren’s Syndrome.”

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

February 2023 Gardasil Lawsuit Update

This lawsuit will be consolidated with dozens of similar complaints pending in a federal Gardasil MDL (multidistrict litigation), which was established in August 2022. Given common questions of fact and law presented in the claims, all Gardasil injection lawsuits are centralized before U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad in the Western District of North Carolina for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

As parties continue to work with the Court on the organizational structure of the Gardasil vaccine litigation over the remainder of early 2023, lawyers continue to investigate and file lawsuits for individuals who experienced a variety of complications linked to side effects of Gardasil, 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 injection 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.