Fact-Check on New Manning Ad

Press Release

In response to Kathy Manning's new TV ad riddled with false attacks, Congressman Ted Budd cited Manning's personal track record defending medical companies who hurt their customers as evidence her campaign is launching yet another election-year stunt. In the ad, Manning attempts to cover her record with more hypocritical political rhetoric.

MANNING AD CLAIM: "In Congress, I'll protect people like Lily, not big insurance and drug companies."

FACTS: Kathy Manning defended Danek Medical, Inc., in two separate federal court cases. Danek Medical was a subsidiary of Sofamor Danek Group, Inc. In a March 1997 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Sofamor Danek Group noted that "In 1994, the Company and other spinal implant manufacturers were named as defendants in purported class action product liability lawsuits in various federal courts throughout the country alleging that plaintiffs were injured by spinal implants manufactured by the Company and others." This same filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing noted that "To date, approximately two thousand eight hundred (2,800) plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against the Company, with a few also naming as defendants various officers and directors of the Company." In one of the lawsuits, Sofamor, S.N.C., a subsidiary of Sofamor Danek Group, was also listed as a defendant -- the jurisdiction of incorporation of Sofamor, S.N.C. is France. Manning also represented Sofamor, S.N.C. in this lawsuit.
FACTS: Kathy Manning defended Showa Denko America, Inc., and Showa K.K. in a number of cases (Showa Denko America was a subsidiary of Showa K.K., a corporation based in Japan.) Showa Denko America and Showa K.K. were involved in the manufacturing and distribution of L-tryptophan, an amino acid. L-Tryptophan allegedly causes a medical syndrome identified as EMS, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, which can also allegedly cause extreme muscle pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling, fever, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, polyneuropathy and death.

"First Kathy Manning tried to hide her personal donations to Nancy Pelosi with a phony pledge, and now she's doing it again by trying to hide her defense of Big Pharma with another phony pledge," stated Budd. "She may try to "do whatever you have to do' to win because Nancy Pelosi told her to, but her out-of-state donors and DC-insider talking points can't buy enough TV ads to cover up this much personal hypocrisy."

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