Catelyn Mcdonough

December 12, 2019 | The Legal Intelligencer

With a surge in the number of people vaping, mysterious lung injuries and deaths are being rapidly reported all over the country causing what some are referring to as a vaping "epidemic," especially among minors. So, what is vaping and what are the associated risks?

By Catelyn McDonough

9 minute read

November 08, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Whether it's a headache, occasional heartburn or runny nose, we all know the routine: stop by the local drugstore on the way home and pick up some over-the-counter (OTC) medicine.

By Catelyn McDonough

9 minute read

May 16, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

It's no secret that work-life balance is difficult to strike in many professions. Especially as lawyers, we have consistently demanding schedules that never seem to stop.

By Catelyn McDonough

6 minute read

July 06, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

Over 9,000 lawsuits have now been filed in state and federal courts around the country against Johnson & Johnson and DePuy, alleging its DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant device was manufactured defectively, the risks of which the company failed to warn ­doctors and patients. Allegations include more ­frequent and rapid device failures due to the metal-on-metal design flaw, leading to severe injuries like tissue death, bone erosion and high levels of metal in the blood. Like any mass tort of this magnitude, the cases were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in 2011 in the Northern District of Texas, presided over by the U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in Dallas. Part of the MDL process includes a bellwether ­selection, during which the parties select cases they want a jury to hear—bellwethers—with the goal of ­moving the overall litigation toward a global resolution (bellwether literally means the sheep with the bell on its neck, leading the entire flock).

By Catelyn McDonough

20 minute read