New litigation groups lead efforts in emerging areas.

Seven new litigation groups were certified and held their first organizational meetings at the 2007 Annual Convention in Chicago.

Litigation groups address specific types of cases and offer members access to information and materials through list servers, document libraries, meetings, and publications.

AMO Complete Moisture Plus Eye Care Solution. Complete Moisture Plus (CMP) is a "multipurpose" solution for cleaning and disinfecting soft contact lenses. Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., withdrew CMP from the world market in May after an epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that users developed sight-threatening ocular infections caused by acanthamoeba microorganisms. Other studies have shown that multipurpose contact lens solutions are ineffective at killing acanthamoeba and that the industry has been aware of this for years. The chair is Michael Schmidt of Dallas, [phone], [e-mail].

Avandia. This drug, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is used to treat type 2 diabetes. The group focuses on heart attacks and other injuries linked to use of products containing rosiglitazone: Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl. Group cochairs are Catherine Heacox of NewYork City, [phone], cth@lanierlawfirm. corn, and Karen Barth Menzies of Los Angeles, [phone], [e-mail].

Medicare Reimbursement. This group concentrates on the part of the Medicare statute--[section] 1395(y)(2)(b)--that requires reimbursement of Medicare's payments for treatment received as a result of injury caused by a third party. The cochairs are Frank Verderame of Phoenix, [phone], [e-mail], and Matt Garretson [e-mail].

Foodborne Illness. The CDC estimates that 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year in the United States, resulting in about 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. The group's chair is Clay Jenkins of Waxahachie, Texas, [phone], [e-mail].

Gadolinium Contrast Dye. These prescription drug dyes are administered in connection with magnetic resonance imaging tests, or MRIs. Researchers have recently linked the dyes to nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), a skin disease that occurs in people with kidney problems. The group's chairs are Barry Hill of Wheeling, West Virginia; Peter Burg of Englewood, Colorado; and Peter Brodhead of Cleveland. To join, contact Hill at [phone], [e-mail].

Resort Tort. This group works on cases involving cruise ship litigation; amusement and theme park liability; aquatic and swimming torts; foreign travel and medical emergencies; aviation (commercial and general); rental car immunity and recoveries; moped, bicycle, and motorcycle safety; buses and tour guides; travel industry liability for crime victims; public accommodation safety; and boating and personal watercraft maritime claims. The chair is Ira Leesfield of Miami, [phone], [e-mail].

Taser. Electroshocks from Taser guns--used to subdue people by disrupting superficial muscle functions--cause injuries and deaths every year. The group will focus on products liability litigation due to deaths caused by Tasers, as well as probe police departments' use of these dangerous instruments. The group's chair is Robert Haslam of Fort Worth, Texas, [phone], [e-mail].

AAJ supports over 70 litigation groups. For more information, please call [phone], ext. 381, send e-mail to [e-mail], or visit www.justice.org/litgroups.