Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Group of Plaintiffs in Zoloft Lawsuit Alleging SSRI Caused Birth Defect Are Granted Remand
  • USA - English


News provided by

Wright & Schulte LLC

Aug 30, 2014, 03:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX


If you believe your newborn has suffered serious side-effects as a result of taking Zoloft or an SSRI Antidepressant contact Wright & Schulte LLC for a free legal consultation by calling 1-800-399-0795 or visit www.yourlegalhelp.com

Post this

Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) August 30, 2014 -- As 500 Zoloft lawsuits pending ligation contend the SSRI andidepressant caused serioius birth defect when give to pregnant mothers, Wright & Schulte LLC recently learned of a remand issued by U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe. The remand in the Zoloft lawsuits was granted to 25 plaintiffs who are representative of 18 states and are involved in one SSRI lawsuit filed jointly under MDL 2342 and allows them to have their Zoloft birth defect lawsuit sent back to the Missouri state court in which it was originally filed. As of August 15, there are 521 Zoloft lawsuits pending in the MDL in which families similarly allege that the antidepressant drug caused birth defects in their newborns. The families also allege in their Zoloft complaints that Pfizer failed to adequately warn about the potential for birth defects from Zoloft use during pregnancy. All of the birth defect lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. (In re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Products Liability Litigation, MDL-2342)

Wright & Schulte LLC is currently representing clients across the country in Zoloft lawsuits and continues to speak with mothers who believe their newborns birth defects are a result of taking Zoloft while they were pregnant. To speak with one of the firms experienced product liability attorneys contact Wright & Schulte LLC at 1-800-399-0795 for a free legal consultation, or visit http://www.yourlegalhelp.com for more information.

The Missouri plaintiffs contend their Zoloft lawsuit lacks diversity and therefore, a state court has jurisdiction over the lawsuit. A federal court may have jurisdiction if no two plaintiffs or defendants are located in the same state. Court documents show the plaintiffs are from 18 different states and two families live in New York and one in New Jersey. The plaintiffs named as defendants, Pfizer Inc., the maker of Zoloft and its subsidiary, Greenstone LLC, and J.B. Roering & Co., a division of Pfizer Inc. Pfizer and Roerig are located in New York while Greenstone is located in New Jersey. In a ruling issued in June, Judge Rufe wrote that Missouri courts have jurisdiction because they allow multiple plaintiffs to file one lawsuit together even though they may have suffered separate injuries that require individualized proof of those injuries. Judge Rufe also addressed Pfizer’s claim that the Missouri plaintiffs fraudulently added a defendant to their lawsuit in order to make the case eligible for filing in federal court.

The judge maintained that Pfizer did not prove that a defendant was fraudulently joined to the case, so she would send the case back to Missouri and leave “any necessary determination” of improper joining to the Missouri state court.

Zoloft, approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 1999, is in a class of psychotropic drugs called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI). SSRIs are used as antidepressants to treat anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. In July 2006, the FDA issued a warning about the increased risk of neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension in babies whose mothers took SSRIs, like Zoloft, during pregnancy. The FDA issued its warning after reviewing a case-control study published February 9, 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that infants born to mothers who took SSRIs after their 20th week of pregnancy were six times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension than infants born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during pregnancy.
[fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm126522.htm, July 2006]
[nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa052744, February 6, 2006]

Court documents in this Zoloft lawsuit litigation indicate that the first bellwether trial for the Zoloft MDL had been scheduled for November 3, 2014, before Judge Rufe, but Pfizer asked for more time to prepare for trial. Judge Rufe issued an order in May changing the trial date to January 5, 2015. The plaintiffs and defendants have not yet selected the cases for trial. Among the pool of cases in the MDL is a birth defects lawsuit filed on behalf of an Indiana couple who allege that their child was born on May 29, 2002, with physical deformities allegedly caused by Zoloft, which the mother took while she was pregnant. The lawsuit, which names Pfizer as a defendant, said that the mother was prescribed Zoloft to treat her depression and anxiety prior to her pregnancy. The birth defect lawsuit further states the woman took the antidepressant through the entire gestation process and that the baby was born with physical deformities including left foot polydactyl (an extra toe), short left index finger and delicate cartilage to one of her big toes. The Zoloft lawsuit purports that Pfizer Inc. was responsible for warning physicians and their patients of the possibility of physical deformities occurring allegedly as a result of using Zoloft.

About Wright & Schulte LLC
Wright & Schulte LLC, an experienced personal injury firm, is dedicated to the belief that America’s legal system should work for the people. Every day, the attorneys of Wright Schulte LLC stand up for the rights of people who have been injured or wronged, and fight tirelessly to ensure that even the world’s most powerful corporations take responsibility for their actions. If you’re looking for a law firm that will guarantee the aggressive and personal representation you deserve, please do not hesitate to contact Wright & Schulte LLC today. Free Zoloft lawsuit evaluations to alleged victims of SSRI antidepressants, including Zoloft, are available through yourlegalhelp.com, or call 1-800-399-0795.

Contact:
Wright & Schulte LLC
812 East National Road
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
1-800-399-0795
http://www.yourlegalhelp.com
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+

Richard Schulte, Wright & Schulte LLC, http://yourlegalhelp.com/, +1 1-800-399-0795, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.