Plaintiffs v Abbott Medical Optics, Inc.
Court Certifies Class Action Lawsuit Against Abbott Medical Optics
An Orange County Superior Court Judge has certified a class action against Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., on behalf of all California consumers who purchased a contact lens solution the Centers for Disease Control have linked to a parasitic infection that can cause blindness or the complete loss of an eye.
Orange County Superior Court Judge David C. Velasquez issued the certification ruling Nov. 12 against Santa Ana-based AMO, formerly known as Advanced Medical Optics, which produced Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution. The FDA in 2007 directed the company to conduct a Class I recall of the product, an action it reserves for situations in which it is reasonably probable that use of the product will cause serious injury or death.
Complete MoisturePlus was part of the Complete line of eye care products that Abbott Laboratories, Inc. obtained when it acquired Advanced Medical Optics earlier this year for $2.8 billion.
The plaintiffs are asking the company to refund to all California consumers the money they paid to purchase Complete MoisturePlus.
The lawsuit, Lazar vs. Advanced Medical Optics (OCSC Case No. 07 CC 01296), was filed on behalf of all California consumers who purchased Complete MoisturePlus. It alleges that AMO misled consumers into believing the product would effectively clean and disinfect their contact lenses even though the solution did not disinfect against Acanthamoeba and other harmful organisms that are known to contaminate contact lenses. The Acanthamoeba keratitis infection can inflict terrible pain, rob victims of their vision, cause permanent blindness and, in some cases, result in the surgical removal of the eye.
A similar, nationwide class action against AMO is pending in federal court in San Francisco.
Consumers who purchased Complete MoisturePlus and want to participate in either class action should contact one of the attorneys identified below:
Mark RobinsonRobinson, Calcagnie & Robinson949 720-1288
Ronald LabriolaMoore Labriola, LLP949 209-9820
James QuadraMoscone, Emblidge & Quadra, LLP415 362-3599
Wendy FleishmanLieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP212 355-9500
Michael SchmidtThe Schmidt Firm866 223-3784
