Honors and Awards:

• Mr. Petoyan is rated ‘ AV Preeminent’, the highest peer review rating available, following a detailed and thorough review by Martindale-Hubbell, one of the oldest and most respected attorney  peer review organizations. He  has also  been selected as a ‘Superlawyer’ for each of the last 4 years , by the well respected legal publisher Thomson Reuters,  as an outstanding lawyer who has attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement following a rigorous and comprehensive selection process.

Verdicts and Settlements:

• ARBITRATION AWARDS: $250,000.00. Medical malpractice claim involving rotator cuff surgery of the shoulder, with a failure to remove hardware from the joint space causing injury and resulting disability.
• $250,000. Medical malpractice claim involving a failure to diagnose and treat retinal detachment with resulting single eye blindness.
• $112,500. Sexual harassment and retaliatory termination of a female employee.
• $245,000. Medical malpractice involving failure to surgically reduce a wrist fracture resulting in malunion.
• $800,000. Premises liability involving a sidewalk trip and fall accident resulting in lower extremity neurologic injury.
• The attorneys at GIANNI PETOYAN have been involved in the settlements of Felbatol®, Gammagard®, Fen-Phen, Rezulin®, Baycol® and Ortho Evra® cases, obtaining significant settlements on behalf of clients.
• $150,000. Product liability claim involving defective machine in a bottling plant resulting in facial injury.
• $200,000. Medical malpractice claim involving failure to diagnose and treat pulmonary emboli resulting in death.
• $200,000. Medical malpractice claim involving failure to diagnose and treat post-operative infection resulting in subsequent surgery.
• $150,000. Medical malpractice claim involving the overdose of anesthetic in a minor resulting in seizure activity.
• $450,000. Premise liability claim involving a slip and fall on private property with low back injury.
• $1.5 million. Medical malpractice involving a failure to diagnose and treat autoimmune vasculitis resulting in paraplegia.
• $5 million. Medical malpractice involving a failure to diagnose and treat a post-operative infection resulting in a spinal cord infection and quadriplegia.
• SETTLEMENTS: $900,000.00. Medical malpractice involving insertion of a nasogastric tube into a lung causing respiratory failure and hypoxic brain injury.
• $175,000. Premise liability claim involving design defect and lack of illumination resulting in a fall with leg fracture.
• $175,000. Product liability claim involving an unguarded machine resulting in crush injury to fingers.
• $175,000. Premise liability claim involving collapse of roof injuring worker with resulting tinnitus.
• $750,000. Sexual harassment claim resulting in an emotional breakdown and loss of employment.
• $1.8 million. Dangerous condition of a public roadway involving a single vehicle accident resulting in massive orthopedic injuries resulting in blood loss and anoxic brain damage.
• JURY VERDICTS: $340,000.00. Medical malpractice claim involving a poor result with an ankle fusion resulting in additional surgery, arthritis and a leg length discrepancy.

Representative Clients:

• Mr. Petoyan has represented clients in the following practice areas: Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation Drug companies have been putting profits before patient safety by failing to adequately test new drugs and warn of serious side effects. Gianni-Petoyan is a recognized leader in drug and medical device litigation including review and analysis of clinical trials and company documents as well as the deposition of company scientists and litigation experts.
• DePuy On August 24, 2010, Depuy Orthopedics recalled two hip replacement systems due to a high rate of revision surgeries required by patients. Approximately 93,000 were implanted and, according to a recent study done by the National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales,  nearly one (1) in eight (8) DePuy ASR hip implant devices failed within a five (5) year period requiring patients to undergo revision surgery. Revision Surgery is a second surgery that is required to correct an issue caused by or related to the initial hip surgery. These revision surgeries are expensive and painful recovery can be as or more difficult than recovery from the initial hip surgery. The recall involves the  DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular System and the DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System, which  are a metal-on-metal monoblock devices made of chromium and cobalt.
• Reglan It has recently been reported that the drug Reglan (also referred to as Metoclopramide) which is prescribed to treat gastrointestinal disorders (GERD) and nausea has been linked to the serious movement disorder Tardive Dyskinesia. Reglan, first approved in 1985,  has been prescribed not only for acid reflux, but also for women who are pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, breastfeeding mothers, infants and children and for nausea associated with migraines. On January 26, 2009 the FDA issued an alert warning against chronic use of metoclopramide containing drugs and requiring a boxed warning. The  Reglan side effect of  Tardive Dyskinesia is a  drug induced movement disorder,  characterized by permanent symptoms that include random movements in the tongue, lips or jaw as well as facial grimacing, movements of arms, legs, fingers and toes along with swaying movements of the trunk or hip.
• Proton Pump Inhibitors Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medications used to treat heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and stomach ulcers.  PPIs include Nexium, Dexilant, Prevacid, Prilosec, Zegerid, Protonix, Aciphex and Vimovo. These medications inhibit the amount of acid in the stomach. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a safety alert warning consumers about an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist and spine associated with the use of these medications.  The FDA has revised warning labels for these medications to include information on the increased risk of bone fractures.
• Overtime Pay Litigation Many employees are denied overtime pay by employers who simply don't want to pay. These employees are either misclassified as exempt from overtime, or simply told not to submit more than 40 hours per week--even if they are expected to work extra hours. An employee paid a weekly, bi-weekly and/or monthly salary may still be entitled to overtime pay.
• Catastrophic Injury/Motor Vehicle Accidents Millions of Americans are injured every year, which for many leads to disability, chronic pain, a profound change in lifestyle and, in some cases, death. An estimated, 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, most often from motor vehicle accidents and falls. Motor vehicle accidents account for more deaths than all natural disasters combined. Although early symptoms may appear mild, many injuries can lead to significant suffering and permanent impairment, affecting an individual's ability to function cognitively, physically and psychologically.
• Wrongful Termination The law provides powerful protection for employees against retaliation and wrongful termination. It is illegal for an employer to adversely impact a worker due to race, religion, gender, age, national origin, medical condition or because the worker files a worker's compensation claim. Whistle Blower termination is all too common when an employee stands up for what is right. Litigation of these claims can provide for the recovery of lost wages and employment benefits.
• Sexual Harassment Employers are now required by law to maintain a workplace that is free of unwanted sexual harassment. Sexual harassment against women is a devaluing and aggressive act that disrupts the personal relationships of the victim and leads to long periods of disconnection and isolation. The emotional injury associated with the experience can include confusion, self-blame, denial, fear, depression and anger. Litigation resulting from these acts can provide compensation for emotional injury, medical treatment and lost wages.
• Nursing Home Neglect/Elder Abuse Americans are living longer than ever before. The fastest growing population segment in the United States is the elderly. As a result of this demographic shift, many elderly Americans have become residents of nursing homes during their final years. There are no clients more vulnerable to abuse than those who are patients in nursing homes. When nursing homes put profits before patients, the results can be tragic. Gianni-Petoyan considers the special needs of these clients when litigating cases against nursing homes for needless injury and suffering due to neglect.
• Denture Cream Over 14 million Americans use denture cream to improve the comfort and fit of dentures. Two popular denture cream products, Poligrip and Fixodent, contain Zinc, and have been associated with serious neurologic injury. Several published reports link zinc toxicity due to denture cream use to severe neuropathy of the hands and feet. Reported symptoms in the feet and legs include pain, numbness, gait disturbance and difficulty walking resulting in falls. Pain and tremors have also been reported in the hands and arms. Zinc toxicity due to these products result in copper deficiency within the body, damaging the spinal cord and injury the peripheral nervous system.
• Medical Malpractice The rise and dominance of managed care corporations has eroded the quality of health care for many Americans. Treatment decisions made by these corporations, rather than doctors, have resulted in unnecessary and avoidable death and suffering. Gianni-Petoyan has won substantial settlements and verdicts for our clients against doctors, nurses and hospitals for medical negligence.