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BioNTech SE, a Mainz-based German biotech firm, confronts a homegrown lawsuit seeking compensation for purported COVID-19 vaccine side effects. The initial case, scheduled for court on June 12, is expected to precipitate nationwide litigation.
BioNTech is set to attend the first court hearing on Monday, June 12. It will go to court to defend itself from the first case filed by a German woman who allegedly suffered from side effects after receiving her COVID-19 jab. She is seeking damages, and more cases are expected to be filed across the country after this.
According to Reuters, the plaintiff is suing the biotech firm and asking for at least €150,000 or about $161,500 in damages. The regional court in Hamburg said that in her lawsuit, the woman said the amount is for bodily harm and other material damages that were not specified.
For this case, she is being represented by Rogert & Ulbrich law firm. She claimed that after the jab, she suffered from pains in the upper part of her body, developed a sleeping disorder, fatigue, and swollen extremities. Her lawyer, Tobias Ulbrich, told the publication that will challenge the assessment made by European Union regulators and the vaccine assessment bodies in Germany that said the BioNTech vaccine has positive benefits.
In any case, it was mentioned that under German pharmaceutical law, drug or vaccine makers are only liable to give compensation for side effects if medical science shows that their products bear incorrect information or have caused disproportionate harm commensurate to their benefits.
With this, BioNTech believes that after a careful review and consideration of the case, it concluded that the lawsuit holds no merit. It also noted that the same vaccine was already received by some 1.5 billion people around the world, including more than 64 million Germans.
Meanwhile, despite BioNTech’s statements, Financial Times reported that the law firm representing the woman insisted that the burden of proof and the possible compensation is lower in Germany. Thus, it is confident that their case against BioNTech is strong.
Photo: Mat Napo/Unsplash
