MMR Litigation - Blacks Solicitors

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Blacks Solicitors are acting for former litigants in the MMR Vaccine Litigation. Legal proceedings have commenced. The present claims concern allegations of professional negligence against the lawyers who acted for the former litigants. The issues are wide ranging and include loss of chance of obtaining damages arising from the conduct of the litigation by the lawyers. The allegations of negligence include: starting legal proceedings too late and failing to advance any claim based on the unsafe Urabe mumps virus vaccine.

The legal actions are led by Luke Patel, Solicitor Partner and Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution. The team includes a Queen's Counsel who has advised and settled individual Letters of Claim. The actions are funded by a conditional fee arrangement ("CFA" or "no win, no fee"). After the event insurance has been arranged to support the litigation to trial.

Although legal aid is available for professional negligence matters, the Access to Justice Act 1999 Funding Code provides: "If the nature of the case is suitable for a CFA, and the client is likely to be able to avail himself or herself of a CFA, Full Representation will be refused (paragraph 5.7.1)". To obtain legal aid for a professional negligence claim applicants need to be able to show they cannot obtain a CFA. Blacks Solicitors are able to offer a CFA for professional negligence claims arising out of the MMR Vaccine Litigation in suitable cases.

Former MMR Vaccine litigants should contact Blacks Solicitors as a matter of urgency as there may be time bar considerations in respect of any claim for compensation against their former lawyers. The law on civil litigation costs has recently changed and the new system will be implemented in April 2013, to the detriment of claimants.

To get in touch, or for further information, please complete and submit the enquiry form below.

Alternatively, contact Blacks via the email address mmrinfo@lawblacks.com or telephone the dedicated number 0845 872 0213.

Contact Form:

Name of Former Litigant:	*
Date of Birth:	*
Contact person (if different):	*
Contact Address:
Email address:	*
Contact phone number:	*
Are you a former litigant in the MMR Vaccine Litig:	*
Product Complained of:
What condition(s) was allegedly caused by MMR vaccine:
Date of vaccination:
Date proceedings were issued:
Have you ever made a claim for a Vaccine Damage Payment:
Was your Vaccine Damage Payment claim successful?:

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Background

1. In September 1992 two brands of MMR were no longer used because of safety concerns with respect to the Urabe mumps vaccine virus and aseptic meningitis. In 2002 the Chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines stated: “This risk to children of a potentially serious neurological complication makes its use unacceptable...”

2. The MMR MR Vaccine litigation involved around 1,600 claimants. The claims were brought under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. They were against the vaccine companies. It cost over £15 million in legal aid fees. No compensation was obtained for any claimant.

3. The scope of the litigation was defined by a Practice Direction issued on 8 July 1999:

“This Practice Direction applies to all proceedings in which the claimant claims damages for personal injuries alleged to have arisen out of the inoculation of any vaccines against the illnesses of Mumps and/or Measles and Rubella, such vaccines having been manufactured and/or supplied by the Defendants...”

4. The injuries alleged are believed to have included: autism, bowel problems, epilepsy, brain damage (including meningitis, cerebral palsy, encephalopathy, encephalitis), behaviour and learning problems, arthritis and arthralgia, deafness in one or both ears, myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue.

5. The lead claimants in the MMR MR Vaccine litigation alleged conditions of autistic spectrum disorder with or without bowel disorder based on the hypothetical persistence of measles vaccine virus in body tissues.