Comments for Petroff & Associates

Comment on The Trust’s new interpretation of the Fen-Phen Settlement Agreement does not bode well for Claimants by Website Report

Website Report — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:08:19 +0000

My sister recommended I might like this website. He was entirely right. This article actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Cheers,

Comment on Thought you had a “Guarantee,” not so fast… AHP Trust’s “bait and switch” by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:58:20 +0000

Thanks for sharing your positive attitude despite losing your mom to these drugs and having your case drag on for four years. We have unfortunately had some clients pass away before receiving their final settlement, and it is always sad and frustrating when that happens. Four years is a long time for the claim to remain open, but I’m glad you are continuing to pursue it for your mom’s sake. I hope it all turns out okay for you.

Comment on Thought you had a “Guarantee,” not so fast… AHP Trust’s “bait and switch” by Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:22:33 +0000

I am an AHP “Derivative Claimant”, in other words, daughter of the deceased. I’ve had good and fair dealings to date with AHP. There is no question that my mother would be alive today were it not for her use of the diet drugs at issue. What’s horrible for you folks – according to the blog posting that changes to the Matrix formulation may cause you to not be properly compensated – are similar to what was horrible for my mother. She died without any compensation and knew what was killing her. There was nothing we could do to speed up the process so that she could at least have some sort of validity or closure. It’s four years later today, and her claim is still open. I’m only pursuing it so she can rest in peace once AHP is accountable. I remain hopeful and optimistic. I hope the best and speediest full value recoveries for you and all the others out there suffering in vain.

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by Kip Petroff

Kip Petroff — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:23:38 +0000

Dear Judy: We hear from people all the time with similar complaints about the Trust. It is common for us to hear that the Trust won’t answer questions and that people feel they didn’t get a fair deal from the class action settlement. Unfortunately, most cases cannot be “revived” once they are resolved, but there still are many people who don’t realize they can “revive” their case if they suffer certain new medical conditions after they settled their case. For example, there are at least ten medical conditions that can make you eligible to assert a “High Matrix Level Claim” for additional money even if you already settled your case. Under certain circumstances, it is possible to add to or supplement your claim if it hasn’t been resolved yet; this usually involves filing a new High Matrix Level Claim based on an additional, unresolved medical condition or event, such as surgery to replace or repair the aortic or mitral valve, a stroke due to atrial fibrillation, or ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. These High Matrix Level Claims also sometimes involve making new claims based on previous medical conditions, when it is determined that the previous claim may not have been properly classified on the A-Matrix versus the B-Matrix. Compensation on the A-Matrix is generally five times more than compensation provided on the B-Matrix. The filing requirements were discussed in “How do I know if I can still file a fen-phen claim?” and “I want to file another fen-phen claim, now what?.” The ten medical conditions that could qualify for a High Matrix Level Claim were mentioned in “Even if you received a settlement from the AHP Trust, you may be eligible for an additional recovery,” and misclassification issues were discussed in “5 things to consider when filing a fen-phen surgery claim: (Matrix Level III, IV, or V benefits)” and “Misclassification of Fen-Phen High Matrix Level Claims – the compensation that you may be missing out on.” Judy, please feel free to privately contact my office to get specific information about your particular situation. You can call us toll free at 1-888-710-1366 or through our online Fen-Phen Questionnaire at http://www.petroffassociates.com/fen-phen-form.cfm. Ask for Carlos Fernandez or Christina Alstrin, if you decide to call.

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by Judy Dahlka

Judy Dahlka — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:46:21 +0000

Hi, me and my husband would have taken this to the supreme court if they would have let us. The Trust finds a way to avoid answering any issues they are confronted with,like focusing on a small element they feel safe in. If any new info comes out that will help us revive my case let me know. Hi to everyone
Judyd

Comment on Fen-phen all over again? by tracy

tracy — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:00:01 +0000

Great Blog!!

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by Kip Petroff

Kip Petroff — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:54:34 +0000

I understand you passed the Seventh Amendment audit, but the problem is you have no way of knowing what would have happened if you stayed in the original Settlement. Like I said before, many people who passed the audit in the original Settlement still ended up receiving nothing for one reason or another. I also have seen situations in the original deal and in the Seventh Amendment where people have a firm diagnosis of significant heart valve leakage from their treating doctor but they still failed to pass the audit. That has happened in both the original deal and in the Seventh Amendment. I still believe there’s simply no way to know what would have really happened if you stayed in the original Settlement. As far as Wyeth or Class Counsel benefiting from you getting less money, I agree Wyeth benefited but Class Counsel probably didn’t benefit. Class Counsel would have made more money if you made more money. I disagree with most of the things Class Counsel has done and failed to do over the past decade, but I don’t see how they would benefit from you getting less money. I recently wrote a book about the diet drug litigation entitled, Battling Goliath: Inside a $22 Billion Legal Scandal. You might find it interesting and it might help you understand some of the things that happened in the diet drug litigation since it started back in 1997. You can learn more about the book and read the first chapter for free by visiting the website www.battlinggoliath.com. This book is a non-profit effort of mine. All proceeds from the sale of the book go directly to charity, New Hope Foundation. www.NewHopeFoundation.com.

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by SHCookie

SHCookie — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:59:28 +0000

I DID pass audit in the Seventh, however, it was still about half of what I would have received had I they kept the original matrix. Unfortunately, I feel they found one more way to cheat us! How much of that percentage that I lost went to Class Counsel and back in Wyeth’s pocket?????

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by Kip Petroff

Kip Petroff — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:57:16 +0000

This is not the first time I have heard these same complaints about the Seventh Amendment and how it all came about a few years back. I don’t think anything can be done to change your decision, but there is one thing I’d like you to consider that might make you feel better. You say that you received much less in the Seventh Amendment than you would have received if you had stayed with the original settlement from the original matrix. In my experience, that is unusual for several reasons. Most of the people who say that don’t realize that most people who “passed” the Seventh Amendment audit process actually received an amount that was close to the original Matrix. People who did not “pass” the Seventh Amendment audit obviously did not receive much money at all in the Seventh Amendment, but there’s no way of knowing if that person would have “passed” the audit in the original Nationwide Settlement. Regardless of whether you passed the Seventh Amendment audit or not, all Seventh Amendment Class Members received $2,000 for being in the Seventh Amendment. People who did not “pass” audit under the original Settlement received nothing. Also, don’t forget that your claim would have had to “pass” audit no matter where it was filed (original Matrix or Seventh Amendment) and there were many claimants who “passed” the audit in the original Nationwide Settlement but they still never got paid for various reasons. I realize you feel you received less money than you would have received otherwise, but I believe there’s really no way to know that. Don’t beat yourself up for staying in the Seventh Amendment; you can’t be sure things would have been any different even if you had made a different decision. Probably the best thing to do is to make sure you have received everything you are entitled to under the Seventh Amendment, because that is where you will have to stay. Ask yourself some questions and do some research so you can at least feel comfortable that you did the best you could in the Seventh Amendment. Did you pass audit under the Seventh Amendment? If so, were you paid under the correct ‘Relative Payment Grid’ value? Have you suffered any conditions after your settlement that might entitle you to more money? I would make sure that you have been paid properly before giving up. Our blogs have addressed all these issues recently. Our website also addresses these issues as does the AHP Trust’s website at http://www.settlementdietdrugs.com or the Seventh Amendment Fund Administrator’s website at http://www.7thamendmentdietdrugs.com.

Comment on The Petroff & Associates Fen-Phen Blog Has Arrived by SHCookie

SHCookie — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:21:23 +0000

I was in the Seventh….ONLY because I was ILL advised by my attorney. I never I or rarely heard anything from my attorney’s office, UNLESS I contacted them. And even then, it was rare that I got a return call. I did NOT receive anywhere near what I would have received had I stayed with the original settlement from the original matrix. I was sent a copy of the Seventh Amendment, which was practically a small novel, and I received it on a Thursday (late afternoon when my mail arrived). There was a letter from my attorney saying that it had to be read, signed and returned to their offices by the following Tuesday. I believe Monday was a Federal holiday. That means, I had to read and understand and sign this “horrible” offer in just a few short days.

I feel this is a HUGE miscarriage of justice and that my rights were violated. Even the courts get at least 30 days to review and read and study motions and documents presented to them. Plus even Class Counsel took full advantage of the thirty days allowed to them before mailing out our checks.

Also, along with this “novel of a settlement offer” was a cover letter from my attorneys stating that they highly recommend I take this offer as there will more than likely be no money left for anyone if they do not accept and sign on with the Seventh. I was also informed in that letter that IF I DID NOT sign on with the Seventh Amendment, that they would no longer represent me.

Seriously, how on earth is a lay person supposed to read, understand and sign such a complicated settlement offer. Plus if I did NOT want to accept the terms of this settlement offer, how on earth was I ever supposed to find another attorney willing to take on my case in such a short time. What if I couldn’t find someone and I had NOT signed the Seventh Amendment, then where would I be?

I feel as though I was FORCED into a settlement that was not in my best interests. I feel as though my attorneys were manipulated, along with many others, to force their clients to take this pathetic offer of a settlement and now we are all stuck.

The ONLY thing I learned from this whole experience is that you cannot trust ANYONE, even though they claim to be working IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS…THE ONLY interests they are working on are their own!!! I have absolutely NO faith in our justice system. I am disgusted and to think that my attorneys took almost half my money for absolutely doing nothing, I am just sick!

So I totally understand why people who accepted the Seventh took it to begin with. More than likely they felt as though they better take it or risk getting nothing. I think we were all lied to and forced to accept something we did not want, because at least in my case, I was certainly not given adequate time to read or study what was being proposed as a “fair” settlement.

Thanks for listening, but I am one angry victim of the whole phen-fen debaucle!!!