Woman Wins Settlement from LA Weight Loss in Wrongful Death Suit

In 2004, Pamela Hoppe, a Granite City Illinois resident, became an LA Weight Loss client. The center-based weight loss system distributed supplements to Hoppe as part of their weight loss program. However, after following the program for three months, she began to experience symptoms of liver failure.

By August of 2004, Hoppe was rushed to a local hospital with jaundice, nausea and abdominal fullness. She was immediately transferred to St. Louis University Hospital, where she was diagnosed with liver failure. Almost exactly four months after beginning her LA Weight Loss program, Hoppe died while waiting for a liver transplant.

In 2005, Hoppe’s sister, Carolyn Schur filed a suit against the weight loss center. As the administrator of her sister’s estate and legal guardian of the daughter she left behind, Schur sued LA Weight Loss for negligence, wrongful death, and other charges, claiming they neglected to properly test the supplements and failed to warn clients of their health risks. Now, nearly five years since the suit was filed, LA Weight Loss settled with Schur for $700,000.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for supervising the safety of food and medicine, including diet pills. Many weight loss supplements have not been approved by the FDA, in fact, their website contains a constant list of warnings against both specific diet pills and commonly used ingredients.

If you or someone you know has had your health affected by a dietary supplement, please do not hesitate to contact the law firm of WWF&G at 1-800-WWFGLAW or 618-567-8030 for a free consultation. The law firm of WWF&G handles numerous cases involving product liability, and acts aggressively for its clients.