THE TEEN VAPING EPIDEMIC Almost overnight, Juul became the leading provider

in the burgeoning e-cigarette market. E-cigarettes

use small heaters to transform liquid into a vapor,

which the user then inhales. Some think that a kid-

friendly marketing campaign which featured cartoon

characters and bright colors, along with flavors like

chocolate pudding and sweet butterscotch, may

have contributed to the teen vaping epidemic. These

flavored e-cigarettes may be even more harmful than

the unflavored ones.

Whomever is responsible, the teen vaping epidemic

is definitely real. 10 percent of eighth graders regu-

larly use e-cigarettes, and the percentage increases

to 16 percent, or about one in six, of twelfth graders.

As many as 20 percent of high school students have

vaped at least once.

These risks are not just theoretical. Recently, severe

lung damage, which authorities linked to vaping, sent

eight Wisconsin children to local emergency rooms.

Doctors believe that toxic vaping clouds, which usual-

ly include high levels of nicotine and dangerous heavy

metals, caused these injuries.

Many e-cigarettes contain four of five times as much

nicotine as tobacco cigarettes. So, while vaping does

not create the same problems as smoking, it multiplies

the side-effects associated with nicotine addiction.

E-cigarette use may cause serious injury, especially

among children. For a free consultation with an expe-

rienced personal injury attorney, contact Napoli Shkol-

nik PLLC. You have a limited amount of time to act.

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COMNEW YORK CALIFORNIA DELAWARE FLORIDA ILLINOIS KANSAS MICHIGAN NEW JERSEY OHIO TEXAS WASHINGTON DC

ISSUE NO.12 FALL/WINTER 2020

$30M OPIOID LITIGATION SETTLEMENT

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest manufacturers of generic opioids, and our client

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, have reached a settlement on the eve of trial which is scheduled to begin

in the multidistrict opioid litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

later this month. Mallinckrodt will pay $24 million in cash and donate $6 million in drugs, including

addiction treatment medications.

Phot

ogra

phy

by V

erto

let (

Bigs

tock

).

ELITE TRIAL LAWYERS The National Law Journal

RATED BY Super Lawyers®

“BEST LAW FIRMS” RANKING U.S. News & World Report

AV® PREEMINENT™ LAWYER RATINGMartindale-Hubbell®

TOP 100 CIVIL PLAINTIFF TRIAL LAWYERSThe National Trial Lawyers

AAJ LEADERS FORUMThe American Association For Justice

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COM360 LEXINGTON AVENUE, 11TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017

NAPOLI SHKOLNIK PLLC FILES $40 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGANFiled in the United States District Court for the Western

District of Michigan, the complaint alleges that the state’s

largest health insurer has been underpaying and wrong-

fully denying claims related to treatment for substance

abuse and other behavioral health disorders.

The complaint seeks compensatory damages exceed-

ing $40 million dollars, punitive damages, disgorge-

ment of profits, declaratory and injunctive relief, and

attorneys’ fees and costs and other relief.

BCBSMI’s actions are in violation of the terms of their in-

surance plans with members, ERISA (paritylawsuit.com),

the Federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity

Act (Parity Act), as well as state laws prohibiting fraud,

unfair business practices and other illegal acts.

The case is the Serenity Point Recovery, Inc, et al. v. Blue

Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, case number 19-cv-00620,

in the United States District Court for the Western Dis-

trict of Michigan.

For years, Michigan’s largest health insurer has placed profits over the lives of its members.

If you are a substance abuse treatment center or be-

havioral health facility and believe that Blue Cross Blue

Shield of Michigan, or any other commercial insurance

company, has been underpaying or wrongfully deny-

ing claims, we encourage you to call us.

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AVAILABLE IN TRUST FOR THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH AN ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASE

DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER AND/OR MESOTHELIOMA AND OVER 55 YEARS?

You may be entitled to financial

compensation even if you smoked,

if you worked in the following trades.

AUTO MECHANICES PLUMBERS

ELECTRICIANS BRICKLAYERS

ROOFERS INSULATORS

BUILDING INSPECTORS PLASTERERS

US NAVY PERSONNEL WELDERS

Call us today for your free consultation.

ULORIC HEALTH ALERT

Uloric has been linked to an increased risk for

HEART ATTACK

STROKE

KIDNEY DAMAGE

If you or a loved one took the prescription

Uloric and are now experiencing any of these

serious side effects, call us today.

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COMNEW YORK CALIFORNIA DELAWARE FLORIDA ILLINOIS KANSAS MICHIGAN NEW JERSEY OHIO TEXAS WASHINGTON DC

NAPOLI SHKOLNIK PLLC PARTNER JENNIFER R. LIAKOS NAMED TO PLAINTIFFS’ STEERINGIn Re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Action

The Panel received and re-

viewed close to 200 applica-

tions and selected Ms. Liakos

from this highly qualified

field for her extensive experi-

ence handling complex,

multi-district mass tort cases,

including the Abilify Products Liability Litigation.

The lawsuit alleges that 3M sold defectively designed

Combat Arms earplugs to the military and failed to warn

wearers of the defect and to provide proper instructions

of their use. It claims that the Combat Arms earplugs did

not maintain a tight seal and dangerously loud sounds

slipped through without the user knowing. This resulted

in hearing loss, tinnitus and deafness for those military

service members who were issued the Combat Arms

earplugs and served between 2003 and 2015.

The litigation seeks to recover for personal injuries and

future medical monitoring from the Minnesota-based

manufacturer, 3M.

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Napoli Shkolnik PLLC has been recognized by Expertise’s

2019 “Best Personal Injury Lawyers in New York City.”

Based on Reputation, Credibility, Availability, Professionalism, and Experience.

ATTENTION MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS:ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES, COAST GUARD

3M DUAL ENDED COMBAT EARPLUG™ CLAIMS

Risks of Use Include:

(PERMANENT) HEARING LOSS

TINNITUS (RINGING/BUZZING IN THE EARS)

Did you serve at any time between 2003 and

2015? You may be entitled to compensation.

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COM360 LEXINGTON AVENUE, 11TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017

ZF-TRW AIRBAG SAFETY PROBE EXPANDED TO 12.9 MILLION VEHICLESNapoli Shkolnik PLLC investigates defective airbag claims involving numerous well-known automobile manufacturers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

(NHTSA) recently expanded its investigation into Ger-

man auto-parts giant ZF’s TRW Automotive airbags. The

NHTSA investigation has now expanded to include 12.3

million vehicles produced between 2010 and 2019, and

made by several different manufacturers. While the

NHTSA has not yet issued a recall of these airbags, this

is the NHTSA’s most in-depth airbag probe since the re-

call of more than 56 million airbags made by Takata.

The investigation around the ZF TRW airbags began in

2016 after several injuries— and even four deaths—

were reported when these airbags failed to deploy

during a crash.

However, more recent reports of additional fatalities

resulting from the failure of the TRW airbag to deploy

in two frontal crash events involving the Toyota Corol-

la automobile lead the NHTSA to upgrade and intensify

its investigation.

The investigation centers around whether the control

units of the TRW Airbag suffer electrical overstress

during a crash event, causing the control unit to stop

working during the crash. In practice, this means that

the airbag may not sense the crash and then fail to

deploy the necessary airbag.

EARLY RECALLS

2011–13 HYUNDAI SONATA

2011–12 SONATA HYBRID

2010–13 KIA FORTE & FORTE KOUP

2011–13 KIA OPTIMA

2011–12 OPTIMA HYBRID

2011–12 KIA SEDONA

2011–14 CHRYSLER 200

2010 CHRYSLER SEBRING

2010–12 DODGE CALIBER

2010–14 JEEP PATRIOT, COMPASS & DODGE AVENGER

If you own or lease any of the vehicles on this list, your

car may contain airbags with a defective control unit.

We are ready to provide a free evaluation on this mat-

ter. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result

of these defective airbags, we encourage you to call us.

FDA RECALLS BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE VALSARTAN

Cancer-causing impurities have been found.

Call us to speak with an experienced

pharmaceutical attorney today.

Were you or someone you know below Canal Street between 9/11/01 and 5/30/02?

You may be entitled to participate in the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)

for many cancers and other diseases. Do not miss the deadline to file a claim.

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COMNEW YORK CALIFORNIA DELAWARE FLORIDA ILLINOIS KANSAS MICHIGAN NEW JERSEY OHIO TEXAS WASHINGTON DC

We publish pertinent information on your favorite social media platforms.

NAPOLI SHKOLNIK PLLC CONTINUES TO FILE LAWSUITS AGAINST MAJOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDERSFiled in Supreme Court of New York, the complaint alleges they failed to collect, report and remit 911 Surcharges to Counties.

Napoli Shkolnik filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of

New York, Nassau County on behalf of multiple New

York Counties against four major telecommunications

providers (including Verizon NY, Inc., AT&T Communi-

cations of NY) based upon their failure to bill, collect,

report, and remit to the Counties 911 surcharges on

landline and wireless service as required by law.

The Defendant telecommunication service providers

have repeatedly failed to bill for, collect, and remit the

surcharge as required – including to court favor with

their customers so as to gain a competitive advantage,

and to line their own pockets.

The case is the County of Fulton et al. v. Verizon New York

Inc. et al., case number 605952/2019, in the Supreme

Court of the State of New York, County of Nassau.

If you are a county, municipality or other local govern-

ment entity and believe your rights were violated as

described above or in any other way, we encourage

you to contact us.

Supporting first responders, survivors, and the families affected by 9/11.

The Johnny Mac Foundation | The N.Y. Firefighters Burn Center Foundation

Annual Chief Michael Hallquest Golf Outing | Glenn E. Wilkinson Memorial Fund

Do you and your family live in a New York City Housing Authority building?

If your child(ren) lived in one of the New York City Housing Authority properties from 2012

to the present, s/he might have been exposed to lead in your home. Contact us today.

(877) 264-8754 | NAPOLILAW.COM360 LEXINGTON AVENUE, 11TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017

PUBLISHED IN AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION’S OPFLOW MAGAZINE Litigation Combats Hazards of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Products

By Of Counsel Paul J. Napoli and Associate Michelle Greene.

RAISING AWARENESS OF LEAD EXPOSURE IN COMMUNITIESContinuing collaboration with Hill Harper and the National Clean Water Collective.

Pictured, the Second Annual Flint, MI Carnival and

#JustCleanIt event in Newark, New Jersey.