Testosterone Treatment Lawsuit News: Plaintiffs Seek Transfer of All Federally-Filed AndroGel Lawsuits to Illinois Federal Court, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, New York (PRWEB) March 31, 2014 -- Plaintiffs in AndroGel lawsuits (http://www.testosteronelawsuitcenter.com/androgel-lawsuit/) have asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to transfer of all federally filed-claims to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, for coordinated pretrial proceedings, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. Among other things, plaintiffs contend in a brief dated March 28, 2014 that the creation of a federal multidistrict litigation is necessary, as potentially thousands of similar claims could be filed in the future.( In Re: AndroGel Product Liability Litigation, No. 36, JPML)
“Our Firm has heard from numerous AndroGel users who allegedly suffered heart attacks, strokes and other life-threatening cardiovascular events due to this medication. A multidistrict litigation would allow for the efficient prosecution of all federally-filed AndroGel lawsuits,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal reviews to anyone who may have suffered serious heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, allegedly due to the use of prescription testosterone therapies.
Testosterone Treatment Lawsuits
Court documents indicate that roughly 30 AndroGel lawsuits have been filed in the Northern District of Illinois. According to an Order dated March 14, 2014, the Executive Committee of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois already ordered that all of those claims be consolidated for coordinated pretrial proceedings before a single judge in the jurisdiction. (14 CV 1748, in re AbbVie , Inc., et al.) The brief filed with the JPML on March 28th noted that additional testosterone lawsuits involving AndroGel have been filed in federal courts in Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Multidistrict litigations like the proceeding sought by plaintiffs in AndroGel lawsuits allow claims involving similar allegations of fact to go through coordinated pretrial proceedings, including discovery and motions practice. The multidistrict litigation process was designed to preserve the resources of the court, parties and witnesses in large complex litigations, and to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent court rulings across similar claims.
According to court documents, all of the AndroGel lawsuits currently pending in federal courts similarly allege that use of the medication increases the risk that patients will suffer heart attacks, strokes, dangerous blood clots, heart failure and other life-threatening cardiovascular problems. The complaints further allege that the manufacturer of AndroGel engaged in aggressive marketing that encouraged men to seek treatment for low sex drive, fatigue and other symptoms merely associated with aging. The lawsuits attribute the rapid growth in the use of testosterone therapy to this so-called "disease mongering," and further claim that these tactics caused many men to be prescribed AndroGel in the absence of a true medical need.
The AndroGel litigation has been growing since the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced on January 31, 2014 that it was reviewing the safety of all prescription low testosterone therapies. The FDA acted after two studies indicated the drugs might be associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac death in certain men.
In addition to AndroGel, court filings show that a number of testosterone lawsuits involving similar allegations are pending in courts around the county against the manufacturer of Testim. At least two such claims were filed on March 10th and 25th in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. (Case Nos. 140301684 and 140302537). A Testim lawsuit was filed on February 26th in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California in February. (Case No. No. 14-278)
Patients who used AndroGel, Testim or another low testosterone therapy may be eligible to file their own testosterone lawsuit if they allegedly suffered a serious heart event during treatment. To learn more about the litigation involving low testosterone medications, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. Free, no-obligation legal consultations can be obtained by calling 800-511-5092.
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, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since the list was first published in 2003.
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.testosteronelawsuitcenter.com/
https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author
Felecia L. Stern, Testosterone Lawsuit Information Center, http://www.testosteronelawsuitcenter.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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