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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Drug companies should be taken to task when warranted Dear Mr. Rockefeller, My mother took Celebrex for three years, until she had a heart attack and suf fered seizures in 2004. My mom did not die until July 2006 at age 84; I had to take care of her all of these years, as she suffered from mild dementia. Can I sue Celebrex’s manufacturer? Dear Reader. It pains me when I receive calls about situations like your moth er’s, because a family’s grief never seems to end. We are bombarded with misleading advertisements by “TV law yers” suggesting anyone who has used Bextra, Celebrex, Vioxx or some other drug, has a money-making law suit. I hate how this makes the rest of us look. Drug companies, who rush drugs to market with insufficient testing and/or warnings, should be taken to task. Similarly, you would think Give the gift of real help We’ve come to the end of another year. It’s time to think about improvements for 2007. I am blessed to work with healthy, successful people who want to get even better! All the many years I spent asking questions about what I should do with my life have allowed me to help motivat ed individuals consider and evaluate options. The more experience I gain, the clearer it seems that whatever gifts and tal ents we have, our greatest satisfaction comes when we help others. I realize, however, that dif ferent people mean different things by the word “help.” Some think the word is syn onymous with “bail out.” I worked for years with a friend who consistently had financial problems. I had been certified to teach Larry Burkett’s “Christian Financial Concepts” course on “How to Manage Your Money.” My friend participated in one of my courses. Working on his spe cific needs, I met with him person ally many times. Despite my efforts, he would it k Dennis Hooper Leaders Building Leaders occasionally come to me and others asking for help with some crisis with his car or other expense. I guess I’m a slow learner! It took sev eral of these experiences to realize that his definition of help was very different from mine! When I work with success ful, healthy business lead ers, the help I provide is in transforming their thinking. I contend that most adult learning comes from para digm shifts. A new piece of information changes the way we perceive what had previously been a situation we thought we understood. Sometimes we experience a huge “Aha!” moment. I appreciate so much those awareness-enhancing situ ations! And I love orches trating them for competent individuals who are intent on getting better. I recently heard respected author Wayne Dyer share this insight: “If you change the way you look at things, it changes the way things look.” He never said the words “paradigm shift,” but that’s what he was describ ing. It’s hard, however, to break old habits. To look at things differ ently, it helps to have an experienced ally to stimu late you to consider different options. So let me ask you to con sider a new look at your Prime Rib Seasoned to Perfection 1-75 Exit 136 » 987-8877 41051 the FDA would do a better job scrutinizing new drugs coming on-line, particularly those having new efficacy pathways. Yet, as a society, we all have to absorb some risk in new drugs with promis ing poten tial of extended and a bet ter qual ity of life. Because fi ' 1- .V. Jta Jim Rockefeller Columnist we all have to assume some of this risk, it is not always easy to sue drug companies. Your mom’s situation illus trates this last comment. Did you ask for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death? This question is relevant because, if you are claiming that your mother died due to the past use of Celebrex, with your moth- plans to contribute to the improved capabilities of the individuals who work with you. 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Hence, your potential lawsuit might be limited to two years of pain and suffer ing, as opposed to suing over your mom’s death. Another legal “knot” is somethingcalled the “statute of limitations.” Generally, in Georgia, you only have two years to sue from the date of injury. There are excep tions extending this deadline based on a minor being the wronged party, the injury not being “discovered” until later, or something called a “continuing harm.” Your mom stopped using Celebrex in 2004 or more than two years ago, so that could be a problem. While none of the excep tions discussed above apply, there is one other that prob Stanley’s comment in his book entitled The Next Generation Leader. One of the sections is subtitled “ See HOOPER, page 6A F. Dennis Hooper Certified Leadership Development Coach Building leaders and organizations of excellence (478) 988-0237 xm CANTON X3SB Riverstone Parkway, Suite ioo 7704792000 LOCAL 37722^ dhoopcr2fa juno.com TWO MONTHS rnrr rrxCC XM aoo W. Walnut, Suite 108 706.2797000 ably does afford hope - a four-year limitation appli cable to a product’s liability claim, i.e., the Celebrex was either a defective product or that it violated an implied promise that it was safe if used as prescribed. Also, because Celebrex is marketed throughout the United States, you may not be limited to a lawsuit in Georgia and you can use another state’s more favor able rules to sue. This is often done in drug cases - most of the Vioxx cases are filed in New Jersey or California. Ultimately, however, as with any drug case, your biggest problem will be convincing a jury that your mom’s heart attack and sei zures were caused by the Celebrex. In medicine, many, many conditions are called “idiopathic.” This means that doctors City of Centerville 2006 SPLOST PROJECT REPORT The City of Centerville, in accordance with O.C.G.A. 48-8-122, publishes this SPLOST project report for 2(X)6. NAME OF PROJECT: Original estimated cost of project: Current estimated cost: Amount spent on project prior to 2006: Amounts expected to be spent in 2006: The City of Centerville will use the proceeds from the tax in excess of the esti mated cost to fully fund the project and the project is not behind schedule The city does not anticipate any surplus funds. VISIT US IN GEORGIA; DAWSON 163 N. Stonewall Street NE 2299955800 just can’t say what caused the condition, only that a patient suffers; unfortunate ly, not every health tragedy has a logical genesis; bad things happen to good peo ple. And, my guess is that, due to your mother’s age, it will be hard to connect her deterioration with the Celebrex. Ultimately, I can not say that you have a case; hence, my comments about the damage that TV lawyers can do to good families try DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS 905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry 478-987-1392 BROADBAND *24.95 * per month WITH BUNDLE XM IASPER 50 Mark Whitfield Street 706692.4456 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2006 ♦ ■Jewelry Repair & Cleaning •Watch Repair •Engraving •Appraisals •Estate Jewelry •Class Rings Centerville City Hall $2,035,000.00 $2,143,100.00 $1,605,637.00 $ 467,012.00 RELIABLE CONNECTIONS DOWNLOAD MOVIES AND MUSIC SHARE PHOTOS AND MORE 5 39 95 WITH BUNDLE UNLIMITED LOCAL AND UNLIMITED LONG DISTANCE windstream 1.877. 312.W1ND | windstream.com lAFAYETTE 502 Church Street 7066388000 ing to move past the griev ing. Warner attorney Jim Rockefeller is the for mer Chief Assistant District Attorney for Houston County, and a former Assistant State Attorney in Miami. Owner of Rockefeller Law Center, Jim has been in private practice since 2000. E-mail your comments or confi dential legal questions to ajrfarocke feller la weenter. com. Hours: Mon. -Pri. 9:3oam-s:3opm Sal. 9:3oam-2pm PERRY 2031 Highway 41S 478987.1256 5A 41035 i 41223