The Latest in Mass Torts

With 80 product liability lawsuits already filed and hundreds more likely to follow, lawyers are discussing the coordination of multi-district litigation (MDL). To date, legal action has been taken against Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., and... To read the entire article, click the title above.

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, more than one million hernia repair surgeries happen every year in the U.S., 90 percent of hernia repair surgeries use hernia mesh.Hernia mesh is a medical device used in hernia repair surgeries. Surgeons implant the screen-like... To read the entire article, click the title above.

After four years of litigation between plaintiffs and Johnson & Johnson, the multinational corporation agreed to the first set of major settlements. The agreement to pay $100 million will resolve more than 1,000 lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that the talc in Johnson & Johnson’s... To read the entire article, click the title above.

In 2016, residents in Hoosick Falls, New York, learned that for years they had been drinking water contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). One resident, Nikki Aldrich, carried her two children during this period of contamination.The Aldrich family was interviewed by a reporter... To read the entire article, click the title above.

  Aearo Technologies’ Combat Arms earplugs were standard issue for U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The devices were hailed as groundbreaking technology that enabled soldiers to protect their hearing while still being able to hear commands amidst war zones.Unfortunately, the... To read the entire article, click the title above.

  On September 1, 2020, District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, the presiding judge for In re: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 2846, issued the summary judgment ruling in the first bellwether trial.   Johns v. C.R. Bard, Inc.,... To read the entire article, click the title above.

When drinking water supplies around Fayetteville, North Carolina proved to be contaminated, all fingers pointed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufactured at Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant. U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C. called a roundtable meeting to discuss the... To read the entire article, click the title above.

  U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld damages awarded to a patient who suffered heart damage from C.R. Bard’s clot-stopping vein filter. The court ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s edicts did not pre-empt Georgia’s state law underscoring a duty to warn.In... To read the entire article, click the title above.

A class-action lawsuit might be taking shape against Geico auto insurance company. When the insurer announced its 15% “Geico Giveback” premium discount program in April, consumers understood it would reflect the dramatic reduction in driving during the COVID-19 crisis. Consumers, however, think the... To read the entire article, click the title above.

In September 2019, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration reported that at least 12 women had died from breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)—a rare cancer of the immune system—caused by textured breast implants and tissue expanders made by Allergan.... To read the entire article, click the title above.

  In a press release announcing second-quarter earnings, Bayer AG reported that it has reserved $1.47 billion (1.25 billion euros) for the potential settlement of Essure contraceptive device lawsuits filed against the company. Some of the funds set aside will be used in... To read the entire article, click the title above.

A federal court judge ruled on Friday, July 24, 2020, that 3M created designs for its Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) without U.S. military input, and so the company cannot use the government contract defense at trial.In planning their legal strategy, 3M lawyers aimed to invoke the... To read the entire article, click the title above.