Every year, millions of Americans take medications they trust to help them heal, not harm them. When a pharmaceutical company hides dangerous side effects, sells a contaminated product, or markets a drug that causes more damage than it prevents, patients pay the price in hospital stays, lost income, and lasting health problems. If you or a family member was harmed by a prescription or over-the-counter medication in Overland Park, you deserve to understand your legal rights and the options that may be available to you.
Hollis Law Firm represents people injured by dangerous drugs in Overland Park, throughout Kansas, and in drug and device cases nationwide. Managing attorney Jason Chambers holds a degree in biology and worked as a pathology assistant before law school, and he has served as lead attorney in complex pharmaceutical and medical product litigation. Our Overland Park personal injury practice is built to help level the playing field against drug makers and their legal teams.
Time-Sensitive: Kansas Filing Deadline
Kansas generally allows two years to file a defective drug claim, and the clock can start as soon as your injury becomes reasonably ascertainable. Medical records and prescription histories are easiest to gather early.
Hollis Law Firm has collected more than $100 million for clients in settlements and judgments. We handle defective drug cases on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Free consultations are available now.
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What Makes a Drug Defective Under Kansas Law?
A medication can be considered defective in several different ways, and the type of defect shapes how a claim is built. Defects can arise from how a drug is designed, how it is manufactured, or how it is labeled and marketed to doctors and patients.
Design Defects
The drug’s formula is inherently dangerous, even when it is manufactured correctly and taken exactly as prescribed.
Manufacturing Defects
The design was safe, but errors in production introduced contamination, the wrong potency, or another dangerous flaw.
Failure to Warn
The drug maker knew or should have known about a serious risk but did not adequately disclose it to doctors, pharmacists, or patients.
Mislabeling and Misleading Marketing
Incorrect dosing instructions or marketing that downplayed risks led patients or providers to use the drug in a harmful way.
According to research published by the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine, clinically significant drug recalls occur approximately once per month in the United States, with leading causes that include incorrect labeling, defective products, and incorrect potency. Patients who take these medications usually have no reason to suspect a problem until they are hurt.
Drugs Linked to Serious Injuries
Numerous medications that were once widely prescribed have since become the subject of lawsuits alleging risks that were not properly communicated to patients. Some of the drug-related claims we are currently reviewing include the following:
- Ozempic and related weight loss or diabetes medications alleged to cause serious gastrointestinal complications
- Depo-Provera, a birth control injection alleged to be linked to brain tumors
- Dupixent, which has been the subject of claims alleging a link to lymphoma
- Saxenda and Victoza, weight loss or diabetes medications alleged to be linked to vision loss
- Suboxone, an opioid dependence treatment alleged to cause tooth decay and tooth loss
If you took one of these medications and your health has suffered, our team is prepared to review your records and discuss what your legal options may be.
Past and Current Drug Litigation
Hollis Law Firm has also investigated and pursued claims involving many other medications. Each medication below has its own page explaining the alleged injuries and the history of the litigation.
Not every drug on this list is still accepting new claims, and filing windows vary by case, so the right next step is a conversation about your specific medication and injury.
How Hollis Law Firm Identifies Dangerous Drugs Early
Scientific studies can take years to design, conduct, peer review, and publish. In the meantime, patients are often the first to notice that a medication is causing harm. Because people from across the country contact our firm to describe how they were injured, Hollis Law Firm is at times able to recognize patterns involving specific drugs and specific injuries before any formal study is released.
That is why your experience matters, even if you are not sure you have a case. Drug companies are not going to report your injury for you. Along with speaking with a lawyer, you can report a suspected side effect directly to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through the FDA MedWatch program, which collects adverse event reports and publishes safety alerts.
How a Defective Drug Claim Works in Kansas
Defective drug cases are product liability claims, and they require showing that the medication was defective and that the defect caused your specific injury. While every case is different, most follow a similar path.
Free Case Review
We listen to what happened, review the medication you took, and explain whether your situation may support a claim.
Gathering Medical and Pharmacy Records
Prescription histories, pharmacy records, and treatment notes establish which drug you took, for how long, and when your symptoms began.
Identifying the Responsible Parties
Depending on the defect, the manufacturer, distributor, or other companies in the supply chain may share responsibility.
Individual Lawsuit or Consolidated Litigation
When many people are harmed by the same drug, cases are often grouped into a mass tort or federal multidistrict litigation, while each person keeps an individual claim.
Proving Causation and Resolving the Claim
Medical and scientific evidence connects the drug to your injury, and the case moves toward a negotiated resolution or trial.
Kansas Defenses Drug Makers May Raise
Drug companies often argue that FDA approval proves their product was safe. Under K.S.A. 60-3304, a product that complied with government safety standards is generally presumed not defective in the respects those standards cover, but a claimant can still overcome that presumption by showing a reasonably prudent manufacturer would have taken additional precautions. Kansas also applies modified comparative fault under K.S.A. 60-258a, which reduces recovery by any share of fault assigned to the injured person and bars recovery at 50% or more.
Compensation in a Defective Drug Case
If a defective medication harmed you, Kansas law may allow you to seek compensation for the full range of losses the drug caused.
| Type of Damages | Examples |
|---|---|
| Medical Costs | Hospital stays, surgeries, specialist care, ongoing treatment, and future medical needs |
| Lost Income | Wages lost during treatment and reduced ability to earn a living in the future |
| Pain and Suffering | Physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by the drug’s effects |
| Wrongful Death Damages | Funeral costs, lost financial support, and loss of companionship for families who lost someone to a dangerous drug |
Every case is different, and no lawyer can promise a specific result. The value of a claim depends on the severity of the injury, the strength of the medical evidence, and whether the case is resolved individually or as part of a larger litigation.
Statute of Limitations for Defective Drug Claims in Kansas
Under K.S.A. 60-513, a defective drug lawsuit generally must be filed within two years. Because drug injuries often develop slowly, the two-year period generally does not begin until the injury is substantial or becomes reasonably ascertainable to you. The same statute sets an outer limit of 10 years from the act that caused the injury, although K.S.A. 60-3303 contains exceptions for certain latent diseases and for manufacturers who concealed information about their products.
| Personal Injury Claims | 2 years, generally from when the injury becomes reasonably ascertainable |
| Wrongful Death Claims | 2 years, generally from the date of death |
Overland Park claims may be filed in the Johnson County District Court in Olathe, while many drug cases proceed in federal court as part of larger litigation. These rules are complex, and applying them to a specific medication requires a careful review of your medical history. Missing the deadline can permanently bar your claim, so contact Hollis Law Firm as soon as you suspect a drug caused your injury.
Why Choose Hollis Law Firm for Your Defective Drug Case?
Going up against a pharmaceutical company means facing large legal teams and complex scientific evidence. Jason Chambers’ background in biology and pathology gives him an advantage in understanding clinical studies, medical records, and the technical evidence these cases depend on. His product liability experience includes claims involving bladder cancer linked to diabetes medication and cardiovascular injuries tied to dialysis products.
Our philosophy is to act as your guide. We explain your options, you make the decisions, and we take action and fight for our clients’ rights based on the choices you make. This client-directed approach is at the heart of how Hollis Law Firm works with every injured client.
We also handle related matters for Overland Park residents, including claims involving defective medical devices, other dangerous consumer products, and medical malpractice by healthcare providers.
Speak With an Overland Park Defective Drug Lawyer
Hollis Law Firm has collected more than $100 million for clients in settlements and judgments, and our drug and device practice serves clients nationwide. We take defective drug cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
If you believe a medication harmed you or a family member, call Hollis Law Firm at (800) 701-3672 for a free, confidential case review. We will listen to your story, review your medical history, and help you understand your options before time runs out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Defective Drug Claims in Overland Park
Below are answers to some of the most common questions we hear from people harmed by dangerous medications.
