Rich Ruohonen Interviewed by WCCO

Attorney Rich Ruohonen was recently interviewed by WCCO about a case involving a three-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted at a casino child care center.

Watch the video.  Additional video. 

E. coli Settlement

In September 2006, there was a national outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 linked to the consumption of bagged spinach. 205 people were injured and three were killed. The outbreak investigation focused on pre-packaged spinach that was grown on a California ranch, processed and packaged by Natural Selection Foods, LLC in San Juan Bautista, CA, and sold under the Dole brand Baby Spinach.

As one of the leading food safety law firms in the United States, Pritzker | Ruohonen was contacted by a number of outbreak victims including the family of the outbreak's first fatality, a Wisconsin woman in her seventies. The woman was survived by three adult children and two grandchildren. The case was recently resolved for an undisclosed settlement sum following lengthy negotiations with the defendants and their carriers.

According to lead attorney, Fred Pritzker, the case was noteworthy for many reasons, one of which was that it points to the lack of food safety and regulation involving leafy greens grown in this area and the need for much tighter standards and regulations to prevent these outbreaks from continuing to happen.  According to Fred, "The problem is severe because of the perfect storm of microbiological factors that allow these outbreaks to continue to happen. Too much food is grown in too close proximity to cattle production areas and feces-laden water."Read more.

Rich Ruohonen TBI Article Published

Partner Rich Ruohonen has an article published in the Minnesota Association for Justice magazine entitled, "Debunking the Top 10 Myths of Traumatic Brain Injury: Effective Cross Examination of the Defense Neuropsychologist."

"After years of chairing an annual legal seminar on traumatic brain injury, I was asked to write an article for Minnesota Association of Justice," stated Rich.  "I based the article on years of research and experience, particularly my experience with expert witnesses in the field of neuropsychology."

Rich has rewritten the article for publication in the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association magazine. Read Rich's article.

Medtronic Defibrillator Lead Cases

Medtronic Inc. has removed its Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads from the market because they may fracture.  Defibrillators are used to treat abnormal heart rhythms that can cause the heart to stop suddenly. They shock the heart back into normal rhythm by sending a pulse of energy through an electronic wire or lead that is connected to the heart.  A defibrillator lead connects the defibrillator, which is implanted near the shoulder, to the heart.  If a lead fractures, it may send false signals to the defibrillator, causing the defibrillator to deliver unnecessary shocks or, in some cases, not to pace or shock when needed.

We represent three people who were shocked multiple times when their Medtronic defibrillator leads fractured.  The uncontrollable shocks continued until they arrived at emergency rooms where medical professionals could turn the defibrillators off.  Two of our clients were shocked over twenty times.

"Cardiologists prefer defibrillator leads that are more flexible, which means thin and more likely to fracture.  In an effort to capture more of the market share, Medtronic went too far.  Medtronic Sprint Fidelis leads are so thin that they are fracturing at twice the rate of other defibrillator leads.  Now Medtronic consumers are paying the price," stated attorney Elliot Olsen.

Texas Shooting

Our client, a 38-year-old combat veteran of the Iraq war, was shot at close range at a gun show at the Crocket Center in Austin, Texas.  The person who shot our client was unloading his weapon when it suddenly discharged, sending a .40 caliber hollow-point bullet through the air.  The bullet tore through the flesh of our client's upper
right thigh and then wobbled through his leg until it exploded out the lateral side, leaving a gaping hole as it did so.
Fred Pritzker was instrumental in obtaining a sizable settlement for our client.  "It is sad and ironic that a decorated, combat soldier was able to return safely from Iraq only to suffer this unnecessary shooting in his own country.  We are pleased his injury was not more serious he was able to return to active duty," stated Fred.