For Yasmin Birth Control Lawsuit, Canadian Lawyers Go to Where the People Are

Toronto, OntarioA Canadian class-action lawsuit alleging Yaz side effects and other grievous health issues stemming from Yasmin birth control is being promoted to prospective plaintiffs in a unique, and decidedly modern way—through social networking via Facebook. In attempting to reach out to victims of the problematic contraceptive products, the attorneys are going to where the people are…

Many law firms also advertise on YouTube. But Matt Baer, of the London [Ontario] law firm of Siskinds LLP, decided to take that strategy one step further and two steps away from the traditional newspapers ad and, instead, created a Facebook page to take advantage of the way in which young people are communicating with one another.

"[The newspaper is] very ineffective in most cases in getting the people's attention that the case applies to," Baer said in a telephone interview with Canadian Press. "So what we thought we would do in this case, especially because the demographic of this class is young women who are more Internet savvy and tend to use Facebook, we thought, 'why not make a Facebook page to spread awareness of the class action?'"

The lawsuit contends that the Yasmin pill, as well as Yaz birth control pills, pose a danger to women of blood clots that can lead to death, even in young women.

"Bayer did not provide adequate safety data to Health Canada with respect to Yasmin and Yaz," Siskinds said in the statement of claim. "Bayer knew or should have known that Yasmin and Yaz were unsafe, defective, unreasonably dangerous, and not fit for their intended purposes."

The legal team championing the class-action lawsuit alleges further that the birth control duo contains a chemical unique to those two products and, thus, increases the risk of developing heart attacks, stroke, gall bladder and kidney stones, as well as the aforementioned blood clots.

A spokesperson for Bayer Canada indicated the manufacturer stood behind the safety and efficacy of its products.

The Facebook experiment seems to be paying off for the law firm. Entitled "Take Your Body Back," the page has attracted 1,763 Facebook fans since October, and has become a go-to central hub for the pending Yasmin side effects and Yaz blood clots lawsuit. Visitors to the page can read updates, share photos and engage in discussion about Yasmin and Yaz with other users and potential victims.

The Yasmin blood clot and Yaz birth control pills lawsuit has yet to be certified and will likely not commence until late next year.