New York, NY (PRWEB) June 03, 2015
Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit have agreed to pay $ 7.8 million to resolve a Risperdal lawsuit (http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/) filed by the state of Arkansas over tactics the company allegedly used to market the antipsychotic drug. Court records filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court indicate that the Arkansas Attorney General moved to dismiss the case on May 21st as part of the accord. The Risperdal settlement amounts to just a fraction of the $ 1.2 billion fine Johnson & Johnson and Janssen were assessed in April 2012, after a Pulaski County Circuit Court jury found that they had violated state laws governing Medicaid fraud and deceptive trade practice by improperly marketing Risperdal, but the verdict was subsequently overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court last year. (State of Arkansas v. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., CV07-15345)
“This is just the latest Risperdal settlement involving the company’s alleged improper marketing of the drug.* It should be noted, however, that these settlements are separate from the personal injury cases involving Risperdal and gynecomastia, a number of which we are pursuing on behalf of our own clients. Those Risperdal lawsuits will continue to proceed through the courts,” said Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm continues to provide Risperdal lawsuit consultations to men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of the medication.
Risperdal Products Liability Litigation
According to court documents, more than 1,300 personal injury claims involving Risperdal are currently consolidated in a mass tort proceeding underway in Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where Bernstein Liebhard LLP is currently representing clients in cases involving the drug’s alleged association with gynecomastia (male breast growth). Plaintiffs in these cases accuse Johnson & Johnson and Janssen of improperly marketing the medication for unapproved, off-label use, and of concealing its significant risks. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296)
Court records indicate that the Pennsylvania Risperdal litigation is currently in the midst of a bellwether trial program involving gynecomastia cases. Just last week, an undisclosed settlement was reached in the case selected for the proceeding’s third bellwether trial. (Case No. 130301812) The first trial ended on February 24th, with the jury awarding $ 2.5 million to an autistic man who experienced excessive breast growth after taking Risperdal as a child. (Case No. A-196444) The second trial concluded on March 20th, with the jury finding that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen’s warnings about male breast growth were inadequate. However, the plaintiff was not awarded any monetary damages because the panel concluded that he had not proven that Risperdal caused his condition. (Case No. 130301803) A fourth bellwether trial is scheduled to start on June 22nd. (Case No. 130401984)
“This litigation is far from over, and we will continue to monitor these trials closely. As bellwether trials, they are intended to provide insight into how juries might rule in similar cases involving Risperdal and gynecomastia,” says Sandy A. Liebhard.
Risperdal patients who allegedly developed gynecomastia connected with its use may be eligible to file their own lawsuit. To learn more about the ongoing Risperdal litigation, please contact Bernstein Liebhard LLP for a free case review by visiting the Firm’s website, or by calling 800-511-5092.
*bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/j-j-pays-7-8-million-to-settle-billion-dollar-risperdal-case-i9yl3jr4, Bloomberg News, May 21, 2015
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $ 3 billion on behalf of our clients. The National Law Journal has recognized Bernstein Liebhard for twelve consecutive years as one of the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.
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