Forget the fists and feet — Chuck Norris is using a lawsuit to do his fighting this time.
“Walker, Texas Ranger” star Norris and his wife Gena Norris have filed suit against a number of companies, including McKesson Corporation and Bracco Diagnostics Inc., claiming that Gena was “poisoned” by substances she was injected with while undergoing MRI procedures.
“Gena Norris was poisoned by free gadolinium and sustained gadolinium deposition disease following an otherwise routine MRI procedure. She was hospitalized numerous times when she suffered multiple, debilitating bouts of pain and burning throughout her body following the MRIs and resulting gadolinium poisoning,” the suit reads. “Some of Gena’s long-term injuries include cognitive deficits, body pain and burning; kidney damage; loss of energy and mobility; and difficulty breathing due to rib damage.”
The suit, which says that the Norris family has spent “millions of dollars” to save Gena’s life, is “seeking money damages from the drug companies in excess of $10 million.”
According to the suit, Gena Norris was administered the drugs ProHance and MultiHance, and nearly five years after the alleged poisoning, continues to require “regular stem cell therapies and other treatments to heal her central nervous system.”
The suit states that Gena Norris has experienced “burning pain in [her] abdomen and throughout her body; violent shaking; tremors; clouded mentation; confusion; weakness” as well as other symptoms.
According to the suit, filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, gadolinium “is a highly toxic heavy metal” that “does not occur naturally in the human body,” and that the FDA recently said it will require additional warnings for gadolinium-based contrast agents, several of which have been banned in Europe.
TheWrap has reached out to McKesson for comment on the lawsuit. Bracco had no comment on the lawsuit specifically, but said in a statement that it “stands behind the safety of all of its products, the magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents MultiHance and ProHance included.”
Gadolinium deposition disease, the suit states, “GDD is a man-made disease. It only occurs in patients who have received a gadolinium-based contrast agent for an MRI or an MRA.”
“Had Plaintiff and/or her healthcare providers been warned about the risks associated with gadolinium-based contrast agents … she would not have been administered gadolinium-based contrast agents and would not have been afflicted with GDD,” the suit continues.
The suit alleges negligence, fraud misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation and other counts.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
11 Hollywood Stars in the NRA: From Chuck Norris to James Earl Jones (Photos)
The National Rifle Association has stood up for gun owners for years, but come under heavy criticism for opposing gun control after mass shootings from San Bernardino to Orlando. Some celebrity members of the group have stood by it, while others have distanced themselves from certain stances.
Arguably the most famous Hollywood star associated with the NRA was Charlton Heston, who served as its president from 1998 to 2003 before stepping down after an Alzheimers diagnosis. (He died in April 2008.)
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Rock musician Ted Nugent is one of the NRA's most outspoken members. In January 2015, on the organization's radio show, he called NRA opponents "subhuman mongrels" and "some kind of inbred Martian."
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NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone is an avid hunter and has served on the NRA Board. But he angered some gun owners when he spoke to Sports Illustrated about those who buy guns for their protection: "The big picture is that guns won't protect you. If someone really wanted to get you, they would."
"Walker, Texas Ranger" star Chuck Norris has a long history as an avid NRA spokesperson, creating videos supporting the Second Amendment and NRA initiatives including the "Trigger The Vote" campaign.
Actor Tom Selleck got into a heated debate with Rosie O'Donnell in 1999 when she questioned him about being a member of the NRA. In 2013, shortly after the Sandy Hook school shootings, MSNBC pundit Lawrence O'Donnell said that it was time to "question Selleck's humanity" after the actor's silence on the matter.
In 2014, an online petition circulated demanding the Glastonbury music festival remove Metallica from the schedule because its frontman, James Hetfield, is an NRA member with a history of hunting. Hetfield narrated the History Channel series "The Hunt," about a trek to Kodiak, Alaska, to kill brown bears. When it comes to gun control, however, Hetfield said in 2013: "I don’t want to make it easier for someone to have an assault weapon, but I also want to be able to protect my family."
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In 2012, Whoopi Goldberg revealed on "The View" that she is a member of the NRA during an interview with libertarian writer and TV pundit John Stossel. "I don’t mind having to register and let them know that I have them," Goldberg said. "I want to know that there’s at least some way to prevent folks who are just getting out from mental institutions [from getting guns].”
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James Earl Jones wrote about being a NRA member in his 1993 self-titled autobiography: "I just throw the political mail from the NRA into the trash ... When it comes to the right-wing politics of the NRA, I don’t get into that. I just believe in my right to have a gun in my house.”
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After the Sandy Hook school shootings in December 2012, West Coast Choppers founder Jesse James wrote a Facebook post supporting the NRA and objecting to gun control laws in some states. "People that should not have guns will still find a way to get them. Please join the NRA now," he wrote.
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Country singer Miranda Lambert is a lifetime NRA member and an outspoken gun rights advocate. At the 2016 American Country Music awards, she showed up on the red carpet sporting pink stilettos with a tiny gun and holster strapped to the front.
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In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, director Michael Moore talked about how he got a NRA lifetime membership as part of a stunt for his documentary, "Bowling For Columbine." He mentioned he had planned to run against Charlton Heston for the group's presidency, but gave up on the plan. The NRA president is voted on by board members, rather than the entire organization.
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Some famous members are strongly against gun control, while others have distanced themselves from the group’s most extreme stances
The National Rifle Association has stood up for gun owners for years, but come under heavy criticism for opposing gun control after mass shootings from San Bernardino to Orlando. Some celebrity members of the group have stood by it, while others have distanced themselves from certain stances.