google-site-verification=cXrcMGa94PjI5BEhkIFIyc9eZiIwZzNJc4mTXSXtGRM Henrietta’s family does not plan to sue pharmaceutical companies that claim to profit from her cancer cells - 360WISE MEDIA
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Ben Crump

Henrietta’s family does not plan to sue pharmaceutical companies that claim to profit from her cancer cells

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Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Relatives of the late Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were harvested 70 years ago and used for biomedical research that continues today, have hired high-profile lawyers.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Christopher A. Seeger conducted the hearing a press conference was held July 29 in Baltimore, attended by Lacks’ oldest son, Lawrence Lacks Sr., and lots of family members.

“The American pharmaceutical community has a shameful history of profiting from research at the expense of Black people without their knowledge, consent or benefit, which has led to pharmaceutical companies massively profiting from our diseases and our bodies,” Crump said. “There is no clearer example of this than Henrietta Lacks and the seemingly endless manipulation of her genetic material.”

Born in Virginia, Lacks was a farmer who immigrated to Maryland. The wife and mother of 5 was treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and died of the disease in 1951 on the age of 31.

Before her death, a sample of Lacks’ cancer cells was obtained during a biopsy sent to a cancer researcher’s laboratory. These cells, now commonly generally known as HeLa (using her initials), were discovered to have a tremendous property that had not been seen before: while other cells were dying, Lacks cells survived and doubled in size. Because HeLa cells may be grown repeatedly within the laboratory, they’ve since been utilized in medical and other research. Groundbreaking achievements include the event of a polio vaccine, treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease and in vitro fertilization. There were also Lacks cells used in cosmetic tests and even sent into space to study the consequences of zero gravity. Recently yes supposedly utilized in research on COVID-19.

However, Crump claims that “pharmaceutical companies were unjustly enriched from this unethical harvesting of her cells, while Henrietta Lacks’ family was never provided with any equity.” He added that billions of dollars were made.

Seeger added that Lacks’ cells “have been profiting from large pharmaceutical companies for a long time…these companies have profited from Ms. Lacks’ ill-gotten genetic material, taken without her consent. This is solely fallacious and we intend to hold them accountable.”

Speaking at a press conference last week, Kim Lacks called what happened to her grandmother “theft.”

Lacks’ story gained national and international attention after the book’s 2010 publication “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, writer and journalist Rebecca Skloot. The award-winning non-fiction book became a bestseller after which Emmy-nominated HBO film with Oprah Winfrey as daughter Deborah Lacks and Renee Elise Goldsberry as Henrietta Lacks.

Crump told ESSENCE that he and his legal team are “exploring all aspects of obtaining equity and benefits for Henrietta Lacks’ descendants.” The lawsuit is scheduled to be filed on October 4, the anniversary of her death. He said lots of of drug companies and others could potentially be sued.

ESSENCE contacted Johns Hopkins for comment and was directed to the web site by a spokeswoman. This states that Johns Hopkins “has never sold or profited from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells and has no rights to the HeLa cell line.”

The website further notes that within the Nineteen Fifties, when Lacks was hospitalized, there have been no established practices for informing patients or obtaining consent for the gathering of cell or tissue samples for research purposes, nor were there any regulations regarding the usage of patients’ cells in research. . “At Hopkins, it was common practice to obtain additional biopsy samples from cervical cancer patients for research purposes, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.”

The Lacks case under the influence updating the common principles that constitute the moral standard for patient informed consent within the medical environment. It requires doctors to inform patients if any aspect of their medical case might be used for research and to assign them a code number to ensure anonymity.

Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in lawsuits related to deadly police encounters, said he believes Lacks’ case raises larger issues about race. “We must make America respect the value of Black lives.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Ben Crump

Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees

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Civil rights attorney Ben Crump publicizes lawsuit filed on behalf of former and current Black Google employees facing racial discrimination from the corporate in San Francisco, California, March 21, 2022 – A former Google worker filed a lawsuit last Friday accusing the titan technology about discriminating against her and other black employees. April Curley alleged in her lawsuit that she was undermined and ultimately fired for advocating reform of “barriers and double standards” imposed on Black Google staff. “Black Google employees must face a hostile work environment and face retaliation if they dare to question or oppose the company’s discriminatory practices,” the lawsuit said. (Photo: JOSH EDELSON/AFP) (Photo: JOSH EDELSON/AFP, Getty Images)

Tech giant Google is once more under fire for worker discrimination after one of its former employees filed a lawsuit last Friday within the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that business “has a ‘pattern and practice’ of treating its black employees unfairly. Suit [also] “alleges that the corporate has placed them in junior, lower-paying positions and exposed them to a hostile work environment in the event that they speak out.”

The criticism states that “Consistent with its intensely racist corporate culture, Google has a pattern and practice of racially discriminating against its African American and Black employees… Google’s centralized leadership, which is almost devoid of Black representation, has biased and stereotypical views about the skills and potential of Black professionals.”

The lawsuit alleged that April Curley, black woman, “was hired in an entry-level position” despite the fact that she had five years of experience and a master’s degree. After six years with the corporate and despite high performance rates, Curley was wrongfully terminated in September 2020. At Curley’s words“I felt the need to speak out about the racist behaviors, policies and practices that are deeply rooted in the problematic layers of Google’s diversity recruiting efforts and treatment of Black Google employees.”

Another former Google worker, Chloe Sledd, also a black woman, said:[m]My first few months at Google weren’t what I had imagined and almost immediately become a nightmare. A white man on my department floor began sexually harassing me.” After being accused of lying, Google’s human resources department rejected and neglected her claims and threatened her with retaliation. There were sleds mainly “Forced to resign. “It was clear to me that they wanted me to back out, but I didn’t realize what my rights were, so they took advantage of that.”

Attorney Ben Crump he said“Google says its No. 1 core value is working with great people… When you consider the claims of these minorities and look at the data, you can conclude that Google apparently believes that great people are white people. In the process, we announce to Google that Black and brown people are great people too.”

Stomp added“April Curley was an exceptional worker at Google. She was hired for a position well below her qualifications and consistently illegally omitted for promotions… Although Google claims it was committed to increasing diversity, it actually undervalued, underpaid, and mistreated its black employees, resulting in high turnover. “We will not stop until we bring justice to Curley and other Black Google employees and until we see real change in the culture of this company… Google is a Fortune 10 company and with this lawsuit we are telling Google that it is not about profits, it is also about people.”

The lawsuit seeks to acquire class-action status and, as well as, demand that these employees be reinstated existence “they admitted the value of compensation and benefits that they have lost and will lose in the future.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Ben Crump

Attorney Ben Crump vs Google Black Minority Lawsuit

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Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump publicizes a lawsuit filed on March 21, 2022 on behalf of former and current Black Google employees who faced racial discrimination by the hands of the corporate in San Francisco, California. – A former Google worker filed a lawsuit last Friday, accusing the tech titan of discriminating against her and other black employees. April Curley alleged in her lawsuit that she was undermined and ultimately fired for advocating reform of “barriers and double standards” imposed on Black Google staff. “Black Google employees must face a hostile work environment and face retaliation if they dare to question or oppose the company’s discriminatory practices,” the lawsuit said. (Photo: JOSH EDELSON/AFP) (Photo: JOSH EDELSON/AFP, Getty Images)

Tech giant Google is once more under fire for worker discrimination, as last Friday one of its former employees filed a lawsuit within the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that business “has a ‘pattern and practice’ of treating its black employees unfairly. Suit [also] “alleges that the corporate has placed them in junior, lower-paying positions and exposed them to a hostile work environment in the event that they speak out.”

The grievance states that “Consistent with its intensely racist corporate culture, Google has a pattern and practice of racially discriminating against its African American and Black employees… Google’s centralized leadership, which is almost devoid of Black representation, holds biased and stereotypical views about the skills and potential of Black professionals.”

The lawsuit alleged that April Curley, black woman, “was hired in an entry-level position” despite the fact that she had five years of experience and a master’s degree. After six years with the corporate and despite high performance rates, Curley was wrongfully terminated in September 2020. At Curley’s words“I felt the need to speak out about the racist behaviors, policies and practices that are deeply rooted in the problematic layers of Google’s diversity recruiting efforts and treatment of Black Google employees.”

Another former Google worker, Chloe Sledd, also a black woman, said:[m]My first few months at Google weren’t what I had imagined and almost immediately become a nightmare. A white man on my department floor began sexually harassing me.” After being accused of lying, Google’s human resources department rejected and neglected her claims and threatened her with retaliation. There were sleds mainly “Forced to resign. “It was clear to me that they wanted me to back out, but I didn’t realize what my rights were, so they took advantage of that.”

Attorney Ben Crump he said“Google says its No. 1 core value is working with great people… When you consider the claims of these minorities and look at the data, you can conclude that Google apparently believes that great people are white people. In the process, we announce to Google that Black and brown people are great people too.”

Stomp added“April Curley was an exceptional worker at Google. She was hired for a position well below her qualifications and consistently illegally omitted for promotions… Although Google claims it was committed to increasing diversity, it actually undervalued, underpaid, and mistreated its black employees, resulting in high turnover. “We will not stop until we bring justice to Curley and other black Google employees and until we see real change in the culture of this company… Google is a Fortune 10 company and with this lawsuit we are telling Google that it is not about profits, it is also about people.”

The lawsuit seeks to acquire class-action status and, as well as, demand that these employees be reinstated existence “they admitted the value of compensation and benefits that they have lost and will lose in the future.”

 

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Ben Crump

Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests

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Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Biotechnology laboratory equipment company Thermo Fisher Scientific has reached a settlement with the estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose descendants “have accused [the company] reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system.”

Although the terms of the settlement are confidential, Ben Crump, one in every of Lacks’ family attorneys, said: “The parties are pleased to have found a way to resolve this matter out of court and will have no further comment on the settlement.”

The settlement was announced on Tuesday, October 1, during a press conference for what would have been Lacks’ 103R&D birthday. Renowned civil rights lawyer Crump said, “We did it – and what a birthday present today.”

Lacks’ life story and legacy became widely known after Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” became a best-seller, followed by a 2017 feature film starring Oprah Winfrey on HBO.

When doctors o Johns Hopkins treated Lacks for cervical cancer in 1951, they removed tissue samples from her cervix without her knowledge or consent. “They found that in the lab, instead of dying, cells doubled in size every 20 to 24 hours.” Talk about Black Girl cell magic!

These cells, now generally known as HeLa the cells “were the first human cells that scientists were able to clone and have since been multiplied indefinitely.” Although Lacks died of the disease on the age of 31, her cells survived without end.

Not only were they everlasting, but HeLa cells also became… support “modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of a polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even vaccines for Covid-19,” in addition to treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease and leukemia. HeLa The cells were also used to “study the effects of radiation on human cells and develop a treatment for sickle cell disease.”

But the worst part was that Lacks’ family had no idea about it. They didn’t find out about their ancestors’ contributions to medicine until many years later and were never compensated.

John Hopkins stated that the institution “has never sold or profited from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells and has no rights to the HeLa cell line”; nevertheless, “many companies have patented ways to use them.”

IN 2021“The Lacks estate sued Thermo Fisher in federal court in Baltimore… claiming that her family “did not see a penny” of the cash Thermo Fisher made by cultivating a “HeLa” cell line derived from tissue taken without Lacks’ consent during a medical examination. procedures in 1951.”

In their lawsuit, the Lacks Society argued that the treatment of their ancestor was indicative of a bigger problem that also persists today: “racism in the American medical system.”

The criticism reads partly: “The abuse of Henrietta Lacks is unfortunately representative of a universal struggle experienced by Black people throughout history… Too often, the history of medical experimentation in the United States has been a history of medical racism.”

Although Thermo Fisher did argue that the case must be dismissed as a result of the statute of limitations, the Lacks family’s attorneys countered, “That shouldn’t apply because the company continues to profit from the cells.”

Only one in every of Lacks’ children, Lawrence Lacks Sr., is currently living. His son and her grandson Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. were on the news conference. “There could not have been a more appropriate date for her to receive justice and for her family to find some relief,” her grandson said. “It was a long fight – over 70 years – and Henrietta Lacks got her day.”

Last week, Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin “introduced a bill to posthumously award Lacks the Congressional Gold Medal.” In an announcement, Van Hollen said: “Henrietta Lacks changed the course of modern medicine… It is long past time we recognize her contributions to saving lives around the world.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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