Paxil May Cause Acquittal of Notorious Criminal

Depression has been linked to productivity losses, suicides, broken marriages and other mishaps concerning the daily lives of people, medical research updates show. Antidepressant Paxil has been has been held responsible for birth defects, autism and suicidal thoughts. Litigation had a monotonous color until Paxil lawsuits, but Feliz Vega Jr. painted it red. He blamed Paxil for the various crimes he was prosecuted for. The prosecutors obviously find this defense bereft of merit and so did his victims, Suntrust Bank and Bank of America. "Mens Rea" is the criminal intent necessary to establish the criminal responsibility of an accused for a conviction beyond reasonable doubt. Criminal intent is an essential ingredient for crimes to ripen for prosecution and its absence could create a good defense for the accused. This is the reason why minors and insane persons are exempted from criminal responsibility because they are deprived of adequate mental faculties to be able to carry out an evil designed in their minds. Can Paxil really take Vega out of confinement or will this unusual and risky defense fail him? Paroxetine, which is the generic name for Paxil, is a category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Paxil was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and was released in the market in 1992. Having earned millions of prescriptions and recommendations from various healthcare providers, Paxil was named as a top-selling drug in the United States in 2008. Before the decade ended, Paxil received hundreds of complaints because of its side effects. Paxil consumers began demanding compensatory damages for the injuries sustained by them due to Paxil use. Studies reflect the strong link of Paxil use to absurd emotional changes and drastic behavioral change.While studies have been ongoing regarding the link of Paxil to these side effects, a caveat remains that findings are still inaccurate as Paxil side effects vary from patient to patient. This Vega case is one of the avenues where the medical and legal world comes together in one melting pot. The prosecution may claim that as in the case of intoxication, Paxil cannot in any way erase criminal liability due to the fact that the culprit is still conscious of his actions.It can be alleged that he has actively made a decision to carry it out, although the criminal deliberation may not be solid because of the entanglement of many emotions due to Paxil use, the mens rea remains intact. On the other hand, the medical experts may testify that the depth of the Paxil side effect is still unexplored and may stand on the allegation that Vega may have an isolated case of severe emotional distort that could make him act on his impulse beyond his control. Precedence may be established by this case for future references of cases with similar facts. But one thing is certain if the judge would acquit Vega of these crimes based on lack of criminal responsibility due to Paxil use. The banks that Vega robbed may gang out on GSK in a Paxil lawsuit for the damages incurred by them. A clash of corporate titans should now be expected. Or even if it was the other way around and the judge rules on Vega's conviction, he may carry out a lawsuit against GSK because of the unfortunate effects Paxil has caused himGSK will always find itself in the losing end in these Paxil lawsuits.