Man sues drug company, casinos after losing $14 million

Austin American-Statesman ^ | 2/22/06 | Claire Osborn

[Xenalyte]

I've been taking Mirapex for several years (for periodic limb movement disorder and restless legs syndrome).

That said, I'm a horrible gambler. I don't even like to gamble. We play poker for chips, and I suck at that. I'm the most aggressive bluffer around.

When I told Xena's Guy this story, he said, "Maybe that's why you bluff like you do."

[goldstategop]

BS. Its usually the wife who manages the money because men are such spendthrifts. Something doesn't add up here.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Xenalyte]

Maybe this explains me last weekend!

Well, that or the vodka.

[joem15]

Wells was a pathologist. If he ran a lab, or owned a lab, it was probably very lucrative for him and he may have ended up with the previously mentioned millions of dollars. Good for him. However, are we responsible for his stupidity to piss away $14,000,000.00 in gambling casinos? And then file a law suit to try to recover his money? I've got a whole drawer full of lottery tickets that I bought under the influence of euphoria thinking that I was going to win. I want my money back. BTW I know important people too. At least that is what they say.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Anyone remember when Leonard Tose the former owner of the Philly Eagles tried to do this? He lost and this guy will to.

[durasell]

Poker is the most boring game in the world if played correctly.

[fhlh]

The casino will have this man's legs broken before he gets THEIR 14 million.

[binkdeville]

That will be the defense case right there..He should have known better as a Dr ( if you believe this at all)

[fhlh]

opps... double post.. the mods will have MY legs broken :)

[Arthalion]

I don't know, I think I'll take the minority position on this one. If the doctor took a mind altering drug, and the drug company failed to inform him that a known side effect was compulsive behavior, then the drug company does hold some liability. If I sell you a car and fail to tell you that the throttle occasionally sticks, and you suffer injuries as a result, most of us would agree that I hold some liability for that. If I TOLD you that the throttle stuck the situation changes a bit, but it sounds like no warning was offered in this case.

On the other hand, suing the casino is a bit over the top. There's no way the casino could have understood that he was under the influence of psychoactive drugs, and therefore no way to establish liability.

[Semper Paratus]

Cue Joe Piscopo.

"And I'M Funny HOW!?

[wagglebee]

I enjoy going to casinos (my wife and I go to Vegas for a couple weeks every year), but I view it as pure entertainment. We figure out how much we are comfortable losing and that's what we stick to. I can sit down at a nickle poker machine and put twenty dollars in and have fun for an hour or so, if I double my money I get up, if I lose it I get up -- it's just for fun. In the end we generally lose about a thousand dollars over a two week period, the casino gives us a few free meals and we're happy.

But it is sad to watch the people in there who are obviously spending way more than they can afford. All it takes is one look at the opulence of just about any big casino and it it obvious that the only real winner will always be the casino.

[Arthalion]

That will be the defense case right there..He should have known better as a Dr

That would be an incredibly stupid defense. An understanding of a drugs effects on the brain would be expected from a neurologist, but this guy was a pathologist. Assuming that he'd be up to speed on this drug is like expecting a podiatrist to be up to date on the latest cardiology research. Nobody would buy that argument. Secondly, the man was retired with a degenerative neurological disorder. Demanding that he keep up with modern research simply because he completed medical school would paint the defense as cruel to any jury and fast track a liability judgement.

[wagglebee]

I agree, and I have a feeling that Glaxo will give him some money just to escape the potential publicity of a trial.

[Mojave]

Some day soon our prescriptions will come along with a 20 pound tome listing every conceivable thing that could happen if you take this.

Plus an extra copy in Spanish.

[KJC1]

If Wells was worth at least $14MM when he retired in his early fifties as a Doctor of Medicine then he stole a good portion of that money from his patients. If he lost $14MM to casinos, then tough fecal matter, you parasite bum.

That's pretty harsh, considering you don't know where that money came from. You are accusing this man of stealing from his patients based on ZILCH. You should be embarrassed by your post.

I've already posted that him suing the casinos is ridiculous, but your post matches that.

[AmericaUnited]

"Warning! This drug may cause stupidity..."

[Xenalyte]

Last night Xena's Guy and I saw a commercial for Lunesta, a sleep drug, and the disclaimer announced that one possible side effect was drowsiness.

[Xenalyte]

That's why I bluff like a fiend.

[FreePaul]

I'll bet the lawyers didn't know he had fourteen million dollars to start with. They would have gotten it from him before he went to Las Vegas.