New litigation groups bring total to 72.

With the certification of four new litigation groups during the Annual Convention in Toronto, ATLA's litigation groups number 72--with a total membership of more than 6,000. Varying in size and scope, the groups provide networking for members, share documents through document libraries, and hold electronic discussions on list servers. The new groups:

* Gastric Bypass Surgeries. Used for the treatment of morbid obesity, this surgery uses staples and bands to make the stomach smaller and allow food to bypass certain parts of the intestines. When performed improperly, the procedure can result in infection, blocked blood flow, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies, and death.

This group will focus on medical negligence cases that present unique problems because of a close-knit community of doctors qualified to perform the surgery. For more information, contact Chair Michael Warshauer at [phone].

* Heart Devices. Heart device failures have recently led to several deaths, and class actions and individual claims are being filed. Since February, Guidant and Medtronic--the major manufacturers--have recalled more than 165,000 devices. Some have defective lead-wire insulation; others have defective batteries. (See story, page 14.)

This group focuses on Guidant and Medtronic heart devices, including implantable cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers, but others will be included when appropriate. For more information, contact one of the group's cochairs: Teresa Clark Toriseva, [phone] (for Guidant devices); or Hunter Shkolnik, [phone] (for Medtronic devices).

* Sexual Dysfunction Drugs. Since 1998, more than 20 million men have used Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction or similar conditions. Recently, reports have linked blindness from nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) to the ingestion of Viagra. This condition reduces blood supply to the optic nerve, potentially causing permanent nerve damage and blindness.

This group focuses on Viagra's lack of warnings for NAION blindness and vision disorders, and it monitors possible expansion of litigation to Cialis and Levitra. For more information, contact one of the cochairs: Ronnie Penton, [phone]; Matthew Moreland, [phone]; or Greg Jones, [phone].

* Telemarketers, Spam, and Junk Faxes. In 1991, Congress passed the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), giving consumers the right to sue in local courts to defend themselves against unsolicited telephone marketing calls, automated and prerecorded messages, and junk faxes.

This group focuses on all issues pertaining to civil lawsuits under the TCPA. For more information, contact Chair Joseph Compoli Jr. at [phone].

To learn more about ATLA litigation groups--including benefits for group members and how to organize or join a group--call [phone], ext. 306, or go to www.atla.org/litgroups/index.aspx.