'Ultimate Power Meal' Sued for Wrongful Death
An Ultimate Power Meal lawsuit blames the over-the-counter vitamin and energy supplement for causing an elderly New Jersey woman's death.
Helen Shulman, 89, suffered kidney failure and heart damage after she consumed Gary Null's Ultimate Power Meal over a three-month period, the lawsuit claims, according to the New York Post. Shulman died in July.
The suit, filed in Manhattan by Shulman's relatives, is believed to be the first wrongful-death lawsuit in connection with Gary Null's Ultimate Power Meal. But it's not the first suit to claim adverse health effects from the Power Meal -- most notably, by alternative-health guru Gary Null himself.
Gary Null sued the manufacturer of his Ultimate Power Meal in 2010, after he suffered kidney damage, bleeding, and bodily pain that he initially blamed on the supplement, the Post reports.
Null's Ultimate Power Meal lawsuit alleged he'd overdosed on Vitamin D. The Ultimate Power Meal he'd ingested "contained 2 million units [of Vitamin D] versus 2,000," Null's lawsuit claimed. However, Null later amended his lawsuit and removed all of his personal injury claims.
Shulman's Ultimate Power Meal lawsuit also alleges the powder shake mix she consumed contained too much Vitamin D. Each serving contained 1 million units of Vitamin D instead of the recommended 1,000, her wrongful-death lawsuit claims, according to the Post.
Wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to another person's negligence or misconduct. Damage awards go to the estate, but may be distributed as directed by the victim's will.
Shulman's Ultimate Power Meal lawsuit points to a mix-up at a factory that produces the supplement, according to the Post. A jury may soon determine whether the alleged mix-up amounted to negligence or misconduct, and whether it led to Shulman's death.
Related Resources:
- Putting the 'die' in diet (New York Post)
- Wrongful Death Resources (FindLaw)
- NYC Personal Injury Lawyer (FindLaw)
- Health Guru Sues Maker of Own Product (FindLaw's Injured)