Mass Disasters, Defective Pharmaceuticals, Whistleblower Claims

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C.

12100 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 950
Los Angeles, California 90025

(310) 207-3233 or(888) 406-6726

(310) 820-7444

www.baumhedlundlaw.com

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Other Offices: Washington (DC) Philadelphia (PA)

Law Firm Overview

Over the past 25 years, Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman has handled over 8,000 cases against some of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers, airlines and ground transportation companies in the world.

Ground transportation companies: Allied Waste Industries; Amtrak; CR England; CSX Corporation; Eagle Systems; Food Express, Inc.; Food 4 Less; Ford Motor Co.; GARDA, Inc.; Greyhound; J.B. Hunt; Kimberly-Clark; Lucky’s; Roadway Express; Ryder Truck Rental; Schneider National Trucking; Swift Transportation; Tyson Foods; and Werner Enterprises.

Aviation companies: Aerospatiale; Airbus; Alaska Air; American Airlines; Beechcraft; Bell Helicopter Textron; Boeing; Bombardier; Cessna; Continental Airlines; Delta Airlines; Grumman; Heli USA Airways; Hughes Aircraft; McDonnell Douglas; Piper; Robinson Helicopters; Rockwell; Sikorsky; Southwest Airlines; United Airlines; and US Airways.

Pharmaceutical drug and medical device manufacturers: Alpha Therapeutic; Armour Pharmaceutical Co.; Baxter Healthcare Corporation; Bayer Corporation; Covidien; Cutter Biologicals; Eli Lilly; Forest Labs; GlaxoSmithKline/SmithKline Beecham; Marion Merrell Dow/Richardson-Merrell; Medtronic, Inc.; Merck; Oclassen; Pfizer; Schering-Plough; Sigma Aldrich; Solvay Pharmaceuticals; Stryker Biotech; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman is dedicated to recovering maximum compensation for all our clients. We also strive to take action beyond the courtroom and force policy changes that will eliminate future harm to others. We are proud of the coalitions we have created with activists, attorneys, and our staff, who work together to resolve global problems caused by harmful and defective drugs, which no individual could accomplish alone.

Our firm's long history of professional excellence continues with each case entrusted to us. It is our job to obtain optimum results for our clients by using effective litigation strategies and tactics. This involves thorough investigation, relationships with expert witnesses, and meticulous preparation for every case.

We have developed a rigorous, skillful and technical method for locating hard-to-find manufacturer documents in order to successfully litigate against major pharmaceutical companies, positioning our firm as a leader in the fight to increase public health and safety.

Our attorneys come from diverse backgrounds, offering a unique combination of experiences and skills that have led to a record of successful resolutions in and outside of the courtroom. Among our lawyers is a registered nurse, three pilots, a former airline captain, a bio-engineer, a mechanical engineer, a former aircraft mechanic, former law professors, former public servants, a former district attorney, a former deputy sheriff, a former S.W.A.T commander, former magistrates, mediators and arbitrators and two former assistant attorneys general.

The senior attorneys of our law firm prepare and direct all cases themselves and the firm's attorneys work as a team on each case. We are regularly consulted by other attorneys and as experts on the cases we handle by established news sources when there is an issue of great magnitude, interest or importance.

Baum Hedlund has been recognized in such publications as The Best Lawyers in America®, The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Who’s Who in American Law.

The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional offices in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Year this Office was Established: 1973

Languages: Spanish, French, Farsi

Areas of Law

Areas of Law Description

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman is a national plaintiffs’ law firm that handles catastrophic injury cases, commercial transportation accidents, consumer class actions, defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices, product liability cases and whistleblower claims.

At Baum Hedlund, we always do what is in the best interests of our clients. Some clients prefer negotiations and settlement, while others desire to see their case result in a trial. We take on every case as though we will be going to trial and will aggressively pursue successful resolution in your favor until a settlement or verdict is reached.

Our practice includes all of the following:

- Aviation Accidents

Baum Hedlund has handled more than 600 aviation accident cases, representing passengers, crew and ground victims across the nation in general aviation and commercial aviation crashes and incidents.

- Private Aviation Accidents

General aviation, private planes, private jets, non-commercial accidents, Bonanza single-engine, two-seat aircraft, Single-engine Thorpe T-18C, Beech BE-1900D, Medivac, Cessna 421, Cessna 185, McDonnell Douglas 369D, Cessna 180H, Cessna 402C, Bell 206B, Part 91. Private or general aviation refers to flights outside of a commercial context, including smaller aircraft or private jets. It encompasses all non-airline and military travel, including privately owned aircraft, air ambulances, helicopters, and crop-dusting aircraft. If you or a loved one was injured in a private or general aviation accident, you need an attorney with experience in pursuing claims against private pilots, manufacturers, and other negligent third parties. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, we have successfully handled wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury claims against negligent defendants on the behalf of victims of private plane accidents and their families. Our private plane accident attorneys are based in Los Angeles, California and can assist you with any of the following: pilot error, pilot licensing, product liability, international accidents, accident causes, airplane fatalities, helicopter accidents, sightseeing tour accidents, charter accidents and air ambulance accidents.

- International Accidents

Airline crashes arising in an international context include those accidents that physically occur outside the borders of the U.S. as well as those flights that are bound for an international destination. There are many complex rules of law and limitations in bringing lawsuits that require the skill and representation of an experienced aviation attorney. Our attorneys have extensive experience with relevant state, federal and international laws. We are experienced and successful in pursuing claims in the complex area of international aviation law. Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman can assist victims and their families with any of the following international airline crash matters: Warsaw Convention, Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), US Airline accidents, accident causes, airplane fatalities, helicopter accidents, sightseeing tour accidents, charter accidents and air ambulance accidents.

- Accident Causes

Commercial and general aviation accidents can be traced to a variety of causes, including pilot error, manufacture defects, maintenance failures, runway incursions, or inclement weather. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you to pursue an airplane accident claim by identifying every potential cause as well as the parties responsible. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C., our attorneys have more than 20 years of experience in airplane accident causes. We will aggressively pursue the associated claims against negligent defendants as well as full compensation for the victims and families of airplane accident crashes. Our experienced airplane accidents lawyers can assist you with any of the following issues and causes: runway incursions, pilot error / flying plane when not advisable, structural or design problems with an aircraft, flight service station employee negligence, federal air traffic controllers' negligence, third party's carrier selection negligence, maintenance / repair of the aircraft or component negligence, fueling the aircraft negligence and failure to de-ice / ice on wings.

- Helicopter Accidents

Helicopters are highly complex machines requiring intricate design, construction, maintenance, and skills in operation. A malfunction or negligence could result in a devastating helicopter accident causing serious injury or death to its victims. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C., our lawyers have extensive experience in investigating helicopter accidents and pursuing full and fair compensation on behalf of the victims and families. Contact our experienced helicopter accident attorneys for thorough investigation and aggressive pursuit of your personal injury or wrongful death claim. We can assist you with the following matters related to commercial and non-commercial helicopter accidents: manufacturer defect / product liability, pilot error, poor craft design, maintenance failure, Air Traffic Control government or contractor error, helicopter pad operator negligence, obstructions and poor weather conditions.

- Sightseeing Tour Plane Accidents

Airplanes and helicopters are often used as sight-seeing vehicles because they can fly at altitudes that offer a unique view of water or terrain. Unfortunately, many of the aircraft used are owned and operated by small businesses that do not properly maintain or operate them. Many times these tours turn tragic when a manufacturing defect, maintenance failure, or pilot error causes a sightseeing tour accident and injures or kills passengers. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, our attorneys have handled a wide range of aviation accident cases, many of which arose from sightseeing tour airplane accidents. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate the causes of the accident and identify the responsible parties. We will use all of the evidence we uncover and prepare to seek full compensation for your injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured in a sightseeing tour accident, you want to be sure that your attorney is experienced in aviation, particularly those accidents relating to smaller planes involved in sightseeing tour accidents.

- Charter Plane Accidents

Charter flights are organized by a group of individuals who travel together either individually, through a corporation, or with a tour company. Litigation can be complex when dealing with a charter organization. Our attorneys are experienced in pursuing charter plane accident claims and know how to identify responsible parties so that you can get the compensation you deserve. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman we have extensive experience in aviation litigation, and provide our clients with effective representation that gets results. A charter accident can be tragic or deadly to its passengers. If you were seriously injured or you lost a loved one in a charter plane accident, you need an attorney who knows how to get results.

- Air Ambulance Accidents

When traveling in an air ambulance, you expect that you will arrive safely at the hospital. If you have experienced an accident in an air ambulance including a medical helicopter or medical transport plane, you know the devastation of being in an accident when your life is already endangered. At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, we are experienced in handling the complex litigation that often arises in air ambulance accidents cases. Our aviation attorneys will thoroughly investigate your air ambulance case to uncover every potential sources of liability. We will aggressively pursue any responsible parties so that you and your family get the compensation you deserve. In addition to weather conditions, medical helicopters have crashed due to pilot error, poor aircraft maintenance, poor oversight by sponsoring hospitals of helicopter operators, and inadequate helicopter pilot training. We will make it our duty to investigate the causes of the accident in addition to the causes of injury to the patient. If you believe that your loved one suffered more critical injuries as the result of an accident or a delay in treatment, we will pursue a personal injury claim against the responsible party.

- Major Truck Accidents

Accidents involving 18-wheeler trucks require a higher level of skill and understanding of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rules and regulations that regulate trucking companies. Our truck accident lawyers keep up-to-date on the latest federal regulations and truck safety issues affecting all states. Baum Hedlund has handled nearly 200 truck crash cases across the United States.

- Bus Accidents

Our firm has represented almost 80 bus crash victims across the country over the past 20 years. We have represented bus passengers in accidents inside the United States and American passengers in accidents involving tour buses in foreign tourist spots. We have handled crashes involving motorcoaches, chartered buses, city buses, and school buses, against defendants such as Greyhound, Ford Motor Company, Bluebird, American Stage Lines, San Diego Metropolitan Transit, Mexico Transportacion Turista Peninsular, Windsor Inc., and Travellers Coach Company Limited.

- Train Disasters

Since 1987, Baum Hedlund has handled 70 train accident cases across the nation involving major passenger rail disasters. We have handled major derailments and collisions against Amtrak, Conrail, CSX, MARC commuter trains in Maryland, Metrolink commuter rail disasters in Southern California, and FELA-railroad employee injury claims.

- Pharmaceutical Drugs & Medical Device Injuries

We have successfully represented over 4,000 individuals in personal injury, wrongful death and consumer class action cases against major drug companies and medical device manufacturers over the past twenty five years. We have handled cases against pharmaceutical defendants such as Alpha Therapeutic, Armour Pharmaceutical Co., Baxter Health Care Corp, Bayer Corp, Dalkon Corporation, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer, and Wyeth, among others.

Our drug and medical device litigation team is presently focusing on personal injury and wrongful death cases involving:

• Actos bladder cancer
• Celexa birth defects
• Effexor birth defects
• Lexapro birth defects
• Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft injuries
• Stryker OP-1 Putty injuries
• Zoloft birth defects

- Whistleblower Claims

Mark H. Schlein is our lead whistleblower attorney, overseeing Baum Hedlund’s qui tam litigation. Mark is a former government attorney, public servant, assistant attorney general, deputy sheriff, and S.W.A.T. commander. His participation in whistleblower litigation for the State of Florida recovered billions of dollars at the state and federal levels. As a result, Mark has extensive experience working with whistleblowers in qui tam actions brought under the False Claims Act.

As head of the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Mark managed the successful settlement of multimillion dollar health care fraud cases, and helped develop global litigation strategies for the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

Partners

	Mr. A. Ilyas Akbari Partner Aviation Accidents, Aviation Law, Brain Injury, Catastrophic Injuries, Mass Tort		Mr. J. Clark Aristei Senior Partner Admiralty and Maritime, Aviation Accidents, Aviation Law, Bus Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries
	Mr. Michael L. Baum Senior Partner Accident, Catastrophic Injuries, Class Actions, Mass Tort, Personal Injury		Mr. Bijan Esfandiari Partner Accident, Catastrophic Injuries, Class Actions, Litigation, Personal Injury
	Cynthia L. Garber Partner Birth Injury, Catastrophic Injuries, Class Actions, Defective Products, Litigation		Mr. Ronald L. M. Goldman Senior Partner Accident, Aviation Accidents, Brain Injury, Bus Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries
	Mr. Paul J. Hedlund Senior Partner Aviation Accidents, Aviation Law, Brain Injury, Bus Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries		Ms. Nicole K. H. Maldonado Partner Catastrophic Injuries, Class Actions, Litigation, Personal Injury, Pharmaceutical Law