Compensation for victims of Androcur, Lutéran, Lotényl

(and other syntheal hormones)

Victims who have consumed hormonal treatments regularly (Androcur, Lotéran, Lotényl etc.) have the possibility of soliciting compensation for the damages that follows, through amicable or judicial procedures.

The main procedures aimed at this compensation will be detailed below. This list is therefore not exhaustive:

• The amicable procedure before the Conciliation and Compensation Commission (CCI)
• The judicial civil procedure, through the expertise summons.

I. Civil procedure: The Expertise summons

The summary procedure makes it possible to solicit before the magistrate of the summary proceedings, apart from any trial, the designation by the judge of one or more judicial expert (s).

This action being judicial, the use of a lawyer is compulsory.

• What is the purpose of this expertise?

The realization of medical expertise allows the applicant to provide the judge an expert opinion on questions necessary for a request for compensation, in particular:

• An opinion on the causal link between the consumption of the drug and the growth of meningiomas;
• An opinion on the accountability of the various damages of the victim to these meningiomas;
• The possible responsible for these damages;
• A medico-legal evaluation of damage.

It is essential to provide to the judge seized of the request for compensation any element allowing it to be enlightened on all of these questions.

• How to seize the judge in summary proceedings?

After constituting the file, the lawyer writes an assignment which he means by bailiff to all of the defendants identified beforehand (laboratories, prescribing doctors, health authority, etc.).

A hearing date is then reserved, hearing during which the lawyer will present to the magistrate the legitimate reason of the applicant to request the implementation of such an expertise.

Thus, many conditions are necessary, in particular the contribution of proof of consumption of the drug on the file.

The judge's decision takes the form of an interim order. If the latter grants the request for expertise, one or more experts are directly appointed by the magistrate. A mission of expertise is strictly written by the judge.

Thus, the expert will be required to answer the various questions of the said mission.

If the magistrate dismisses the victim of his request, a procedure before the Court of Appeal is possible.

• How does legal expertise go?

The expert appointed by the judge must convene all the parties to an expertise meeting, he therefore unilaterally sets the date and place of the summons.

All the parties are therefore represented by a lawyer and/or a doctor advice.

• 1st ^step : the study of the file and the documents

The first stage of the expertise consists in studying the applicant's medical file, as well as studying the documents in all the parties.

As a result, many questions are likely to be raised by experts, to which the parties are required to answer.

Thus, are studied in detail:

• evidence of consumption of the drug,
• the reasons for this consumption,
• history of medical consultations etc.

Your lawyer has a real support role during this first step , since he accompanies your answers and any oversight.

• 2nd step: the study of pharmacovigilance.

If the judge's ordinance requests the study of pharmacovigilance, this part will concern the study of the life of the drug.

If this party concerns each individual file, these are general debates between laboratories, health authorities and lawyers.

• 3rd step: medical examination.

This medical examination is short, non -invasive (rapid neuropsychological test, reflex, movement test, etc.)

Only the doctors present attend the realization of these tests.

• 4th step: the medico-legal evaluation of damages.

Using the documents in the file, the complaints of the victim but also of your lawyer, the experts will assess all of your damages (endured suffering, functional deficit, need of a third person in the acts of daily life etc.)

The expertise meeting is specific to each file, but it can be estimated that it necessarily lasts between 1 hour 30 to 2 hours per file.

Following this expertise, experts make a report project. Each party has the possibility of making observations by means of their lawyers in the event of disagreement.

Experts finally make a final report to the parties and to the court. Please note: experts only give a technical opinion, in no case a legal assessment.

• So then?

In the event of a compensation wish, it is necessary to seize the trial judge , who is solely competent to decide on this issue.

The expert report will allow the court to rule on the responsibilities incurred, and the amount of compensation.

It is therefore a separate procedure of the procedure for summary proceedings.

Please note : the procedure for summary proceedings, which may be a prerequisite for a judicial compensation request, is a significant first step for the victims . This procedure makes it possible to constitute proof (the expert report) before any legal proceedings on the merits!

II. Amicable procedure before the CCI

The CCIs were implemented by the law of March 4, 2002 relating to the rights of patients and the quality of the health system.

This is a specific compensation system for victims of medical accidents, intended to promote the amicable settlement of disputes under national solidarity.

• Under what circumstances can we grasp the CCI?

To be admissible, the compensation request before a CCI must meet certain conditions, in particular:

• Temporal conditions : The request must concern a medical accident after September 4, 2001 and must not be introduced more than ten years after the consolidation of the state of health of the victim (that is to say, when the state of health is no longer likely to evolve).
• Conditions of severity : the damage must present a certain character of severity whose current thresholds are:

• • A permanent functional deficit rate of at least 24%
  • A temporary functional deficit greater than 50% for at least 6 less consecutive, or 6 non -consecutive months over a period of 12 months.
  • The victim found himself on a temporary judgment of professional activity for a period at least equal to 6 consecutive months, or 6 non -consecutive months over a period of 12 months
  • Exceptionally: the victim has undergone particularly serious disorders in its conditions of existence (free assessment and not legally defined).

The help of a lawyer is recommended to study the conditions necessary for the admissibility of the file.

If these criteria are achieved, medical expertise can be requested.

This expertise will allow you to hear the opinion of experts appointed on fundamental questions: the causal link between the consumption of the drug and the growth of meningiomas, the possible managers as well as a forensic evaluation of the damages.

• How does an expertise go to the CCI?

The expert summons all the parties to a meeting that takes place in several stages:

• The study of the victim's medical file (proof of consumption, medical follow -up, etc.). Questions are necessarily asked to the applicant in order to clarify any possible questions raised by the file.
• The study of pharmacovigilance.
• The medico-legal evaluation of the victim's damage. Experts focus on assessing each damage. This evaluation will then enlighten the commission on the possible compensation.

If the representation by a lawyer is not compulsory, it is, due to the nature of the questions raised during the expertise, strongly advised. In addition, laboratories and health professionals implicated are accompanied by lawyers and advice doctors so that an imbalance can easily exist between the parties.

The Dante firm team will prepare you for this expertise, and will take care of sending the entire file to all parties.

• The expert report and the committee meeting

Based on this expertise, experts establish an expert report including all the conclusions selected, in accordance with the mission ordered by the Commission.

This expert report is sent to all parties, with the possibility of making observations in the event of disagreement.

The Commission then meets in order to study the file, in the light of the conclusions of the expert report rendered by the experts. Please note, the commission is not held by the conclusions of the experts.

This commission is composed:

• Magistrate
• Members representing uses, health professionals, health establishments, insurers, ONIAM, as well as qualified personalities.

During this meeting are recalled the facts of cash, the damage in question, the possible issues of the file as well as the conclusions adopted by the experts.

The parties, their councils and advice doctors are then heard by the commission, with possible additional questions.

• The opinion rendered by the CCI

The opinion is written by the Commission according to the conclusions and votes of the Commission. The CCI is pronounced in the opinion on the causes, the damage, the competence of the CCI, the applicable liability regime and the damages attributable to compensation.

The opinion is notified to all parties, including the applicant. It is transmitted to the implication insurer when a fault is recognized against the healthcare professional, and to the ONIAM in the event of therapeutic hazards, or nosocomial infection.

The opinion cannot be subject to any appeal, except during an action in compensation brought before the jurisdiction competent by the victim. The action then becomes judicial.

• Compensation

From the receipt of the notice, any managers have 4 months to make a compensation offer.

If the victim accepts the compensation offer made to him, acceptance is worth transaction and ends the dispute.

Please note: the signature of such a transaction is not without consequences since it will no longer be possible to modify the amount of the transaction once signed, even judicially. It is therefore an extremely important and delicate act, for which the advice of a lawyer are essential.

If the victim considers the insufficient offer, he has the right to act before the competent court.

If the insurer does not make an offer, the victim may ask ONIAM to replace. In the absence of a offer from ONIAM, the victim may seize the competent court.

III. Judicial news: the judgment of the Paris Court of Appeal of January 28, 2022

On January 28, 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal issued a particularly important judgment, on an essential legal issue: the prescription of legal action, relating to a health product.

• Summary of the current state of legislation

In French law, the legislator has implemented a special responsibility regime relating to the health product: responsibility for defective products.

Very largely, this regime provides that " the producer is responsible for the damage caused by a defect in his product, whether or not bound by a contract with the victim " (article 1245 of the Civil Code).

However, the legislator has also implemented two deadlines limiting the questioning of a producer (except for the proven fault of the producer, such as a vigilance fault, etc.):

• A foreclosure period of 10 years from the circulation of the product .
• A limitation period of 3 years from the day when the applicant was aware or should have known either the damage, or the defect, or the identity of the producer.

• The facts

The judgment of January 28, 2022 concerns a victim who consumed Androcur until 2000 and having submitted a request for medical expertise before the judge of summary proceedings (cf. procedure explained above) more than ten years after the judgment of his consumption.

The judge in summary proceedings, however, rejected the request of this victim according to the reason that more than 10 years had passed since the circulation of the incriminated medication, the last administration of the product and the appearance of pathology.

Obviously, the Dante cabinet appealed to this order.

• The judgment of the Court of Appeal and its interest

By its judgment dated January 28, 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal censored the order of the judge of summary proceedings, by strictly applying the provisions of article 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

As previously stated, this article allows a victim to request the achievement of medical expertise if the latter demonstrates "a legitimate reason".

In this file, the Court considers that by providing enough evidence to his file (example: evidence of prescriptions and consumption of the drug), the victim demonstrates a legitimate reason sufficient to request the realization of medical expertise, unimportant the date of consumption of the drug.

Thus, at the stadium the procedure of summary proceedings, the Court of Appeal considers that the periods of prescription relating to the regimes of the defective products are not intended to apply as soon as the demonstration of the legitimate reason is fulfilled.

This judgment is essential since it thus opens the possibility to each victim proving its consumption of medication (distant or not), to solicit medical expertise.

 Important: the phase of constitution of the file is therefore essential for the admissibility of the file before the judge of summary proceedings!

 In case of difficulty during this stage, do not hesitate to contact the Dante cabinet.

IV. Conclusions

If other legal proceedings exist, it is important to specify that the litigation of the syntheses of syntheses is an extremely recent litigation.

It is therefore essential to study with precision all the questions inherent in the litigation of health products, and in particular what are the responsibilities that can be retained, for defined periods.

These debates are currently not closed!

At this stage of litigation, certain legal proceedings will therefore not necessarily be proposed to you in order to guarantee you a real chance of final compensation.

Important: in any event, before initiating a procedure (amicable or judicial), it is essential to obtain the communication of the entire medical follow -up in connection with the consumption of the synthetic hormone.

Above all, it is essential to study with precision all of these elements to determine the most adequate procedure in the file: each file is different!

As such, he is advisable to use the council of a lawyer.

Dante's office supports you from this first step to help you get these medical documents with the various practitioners who have followed you.

Once the file is complete, a procedural strategy and a precise fee agreement will be offered to you.

V. Questions/Answers

 

• How much does these different procedures cost?

The question of the fees of a lawyer is essential and must be addressed before launching a procedure (judicial or amicable).

Beforehand, it is however necessary to learn about different points, such as the benefit of legal protection insurance.

Indeed, legal protection insurance can cover all or part of the costs relating to the procedure that you wish to initiate, according to scale and insurance contract (fees, bailiff fees, expert fees, etc.).

It is important to inquire with your bank (residential contract, bank card) or even your mutual, to know the existence of the benefit of such insurance.

Then, the cost obviously depends on the procedure initiated!

Dante therefore proceeds by step :

1- The phase of constitution of the file : the first contacts, councils of constitution of files, study of the file and drafting of the medical summary are not billed by the firm.

This first extensive study of the file is imperative to allow your lawyer to advise you the best procedure for your file!

Thus, in case of doubt, do not hesitate to contact the cabinet in order to obtain a first opinion.

2- The study of my file is completed, a procedure is offered to me : your lawyer will then contact you in order to present the determined procedure. You keep of course the choice to continue or not!

3- You decide to entrust your file to the Dante cabinet and start a procedure . Your lawyer will then present the fee agreement, which takes into account the existence of legal protection insurance, or legal aid or even your financial means.

Thus, it is not possible to determine the fees before the careful study of your file.

• What is the role of Dante's cabinet within AMAVEA?

AMAVEA, as a legal personality, has chosen as a lawyer Maître Charles Joseph-Oudin, founding partner of the cabinet Dante Avocat, for the purpose of representing its interests as an association.

Thus, in the event of legal action of AMAVEA, Charles Joseph-Oudin will be in charge of representing the association before the courts.

In addition, the life of an association is full of twists and problems. Maître Charles JOSEPH-OUDIN intervenes as the association's advice in order to overcome all difficulties.

Maître Charles Joseph-Oudin and the Dante cabinet team is also available to answer any questions from victim of synthetic hormones.

• What are the compensable damages? Should we necessarily be operated on with meningiomas?

This question requires that we place ourselves after the "medical expertise" stage.

As a reminder, medical expertise makes it possible to obtain:

• An opinion on the causal link between the consumption of the drug and the growth of meningiomas;
• An opinion on the accountability of the various damages of the victim to these meningiomas;
• The possible responsible for these damages;
• A medico-legal evaluation of damage.

Depending on the expert report of experts, the Dante firm will advise you on the advisability of seizing the trial judge, in compensation for your damages previously evaluated by the experts.

These damages are of all order and in accordance with the nomenclature called "Dinthilac". Here are some:

• Current and future health expenses after deduction of the costs covered and not borne by the victim.
• Various costs (house layout, vehicle development, etc.)
• Loss of current and future professional winnings
• Assistance by third person
• Professional impact
• Suffering physical and psychological endured.
• Temporary and permanent aesthetic damage
• Functional and permanent deficit.
• Approval damage (leisure stop).

There are numerous the prejudices to be evaluated.

The role of the Dante cabinet will be to support your interests when evaluating your damages and request the most coherent compensation as possible.

Important : the evaluation of damages and their compensation is specific to each file. It is therefore impossible to know in advance the compensation to which you can claim. The Dante cabinet may possibly carry out an estimate after the final report of the experts, but this estimate remains hypothetical: only the judge has the power to determine the amounts.

 

Precision : When studying your file, the Dante cabinet precisely assesses the opportunity of a procedure in order to offer you the most advantageous action for your case.

Do not hesitate to contact the law firm for any difficulty relating to the constitution of the medical file or for any general question relating to these issues:

• By email: contact@dante-avocats.fr ;
• By phone: 01 43 22 44 53.

Communication from the Dante Cabinet here in PDF to print: Dante-communication of February 9, 2022