Blog: Product Liability
- Big Win For Injured Plaintiffs In Pennsylvania Supreme Court Personal Jurisdiction Opinion
Nov 3, 2020
On October 21, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court marked another victory for injured plaintiffs on the issue of personal jurisdiction in its 6-1 opinion in Hammons v. Ethicon, 7-EAP-2019. In Hammons, the plaintiff, an Indiana resident, was implanted with the Prolift Kit, which is a transvaginal mesh device manufactured by Ethicon, for treatment of her pelvic organ prolapse. Ms. Hammons brought suit in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas against three New Jersey companies (Ethicon, J&J,...Read More - Trials Resuming in Allegheny County
Oct 27, 2020
In September, Allegheny County's President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark issued an administrative order announcing the resumption of both criminal and civil jury trials in the Pennsylvania's Fifth Judicial District, which covers Allegheny County and manages the state's second-highest case load behind Philadelphia County. The order establishes that civil trials will take place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where space has been secured by the judiciary through December 2020...Read More - Florida Lawyers Obtain $400 Million Jury Verdict on Zoom
Oct 26, 2020
Earlier this month, attorneys in Florida obtained an historic jury verdict after a Zoom trial. Although the COVID 19 pandemic has slowed the nation's civil courts to a near halt over the last 8 months, attorneys Ben Crump and Robert Cox were able to find justice after a remote jury trial stemming from a 2018 highway accident. Their client, retired Army Sergeant Dwayne Washington, was severely injured when his motorcycle was unable to stop and...Read More - NJ Talc Verdict: $750 Million in Punitive Damages
Feb 6, 2020
Earlier today, a jury in Middlesex County, New Jersey handed down a punitive damages verdict of $750 million against Johnson & Johnson in a case involving claims that J&J's Baby Powder can cause cancer. The case was brought by four plaintiffs who were each exposed to Baby Powder as children and have since developed mesothelioma. In September 2019, a jury rendered a verdict finding that the product had caused the plaintiffs' injuries and that J&J...Read More - $8 Billion Verdict in Philadelphia Risperdal Trial
Oct 9, 2019
Today, following a three-week trial in Murray v. Janssen, a Philadelphia jury sent a message loud and clear to pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, handing down a punitive damages verdict in the amount of $8 billion against the company. The plaintiff, Nicholas Murray, was prescribed Janssen's prescription drug, Risperdal, as a boy and developed gynecomastia (breast growth). In his 2015 trial, he alleged that the drug caused his condition, that...Read More - Breaking News: $37.3 Million Verdict Against J&J in Talc Mesothelioma Trial
Sep 11, 2019
A New Jersey state court jury has awarded $37.3 million in compensatory damages to a group of four plaintiffs who claim their abdominal mesothelioma was caused by J&J Baby Powder. Last week, the trial was in the news when the presiding judge, the Hon. Ana C. Viscomi, reprimanded and ultimately struck the closing argument of J&J trial counsel after repeated violations of the court's order not to disparage the plaintiff's attorneys...Read More - Risperdal Cases Revived in Two Pennsylvania Appeals Court Rulings
Aug 22, 2019
At last count, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas is home to more than 7,000 personal injury cases over Janssen's prescription anti-psychotic medication, Risperdal. Male plaintiffs in these cases claim that their use of the drug caused the development of gynecomastia (irreversible breast growth). Two Pennsylvania appeals court rulings have reinstated cases for trial after unfavorable rulings for the plaintiffs in the in the trial court. The first case, T.M. v. Janssen, which went to...Read More - Roundup Judge: "There was clear and convincing evidence that Monsanto's actions were reprehensible."
Jul 27, 2019
In an order entered this week, Judge Winifred Smith of the Superior Court of Alameda County, California, denied Monsanto's post-trial request for a new trial in the Roundup case, Pilliod v. Monsanto, which resulted in a $2 billion verdict for the plaintiffs in May of this year. This is the second time this month that a trial court has thwarted Monsanto's efforts to overturn a jury award entered against the company in connection with its...Read More - Roundup Judge: "Monsanto deserves to be punished."
Jul 16, 2019
In an order issued yesterday, July 15, Roundup MDL Judge Vince Chhabria denied Monsanto's request to put aside last year's verdict in Hardeman v. Monsanto, where the jury awarded the plaintiff $5 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages. Following trial, Monsanto had raised three arguments. First, the company requested a new trial on compensatory damages, arguing that the evidence did not support the size of the $5 million award. Second, Monsanto...Read More - PA Supreme Court Weighing Risperdal Appeal on Statute of Limitations
May 17, 2019
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral argument from the parties in the appeals of Saksek v. Janssen and Winter v. Janssen, two cases where the plaintiffs alleged they developed gynecomastia from using Janssen's prescription drug, Risperdal. The cases were filed in Pennsylvania state court, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and were dismissed as untimely under Pennsylvania's two-year statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits. The plaintiffs appealed, and the Pennsylvania Superior Court...Read More