Lipitor Lawsuit News: Federal Judicial Panel to Reconsider Consolidation of Lawsuits Alleging an Association Between Lipitor and Diabetes, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, New York (PRWEB) December 24, 2013 -- As Lipitor lawsuits (http://www.lipitorlawsuitcenter.com/) filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly develop new onset-Type 2 diabetes due to their use of the cholesterol-lowering statin continue to mount in courts around the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) will once again take up a request from plaintiffs to consolidate federally-filed Lipitor claims in a single jurisdiction for pretrial proceedings. According to court documents, the Panel will hear Oral Arguments on the matter on January 30, 2014, when it convenes its next hearing session in New Orleans, Louisiana. Plaintiffs have asked that the multidistrict litigation for all federal Lipitor lawsuits be established in the U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, where a number of such claims are already being handled in a consolidated manner. (In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin) Litigation, MDL No. 2502 (JPML))
“Lawsuits alleging a link between the use of Lipitor and diabetes are mounting rapidly in federal courts throughout the U.S. A consolidated proceeding, such as that currently under consideration by the JPML, would provide an efficient means of litigating these claims,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free Lipitor lawsuit consultations to anyone who may have developed Type 2 diabetes due to the use of this statin medication.
Lipitor and Diabetes Allegations
According to court documents, Lipitor lawsuits involving diabetes allegations have been mounting since February 2012, when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ordered Pfizer, Inc. to add new warnings to the Lipitor label regarding an increased risk of new-onset diabetes in patients who took the medication. Among other things, these claims allege that Pfizer failed to provide patients and doctors with adequate warnings regarding this risk, and that even the cautions that have been added to the Lipitor label remain inadequate. Plaintiffs further allege that Pfizer marketed Lipitor as safe and effective for years, despite its knowledge of data tying its use to elevated blood glucose levels and the development of Type 2 diabetes.
In July, the JPML rejected a previous request from plaintiffs to consolidate federally-filed Lipitor lawsuits in a single jurisdiction, holding that there were too few filings to justify such a proceeding. However, according to a second petition filed by plaintiffs in October, more than 100 Lipitor lawsuits involving diabetes allegations are now pending in federal courts throughout the country. Despite the mounting claims, court documents indicate that Pfizer is still opposed to the creation of a multidistrict litigation for these lawsuits.
A multidistrict litigation like the one proposed for Lipitor lawsuits preserves the resources of the court, parties and witnesses, and would likely avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent court rulings across a large number of cases involving similar allegations of fact. Among other things, such a proceeding would allow all federally-filed claims involving Lipitor and diabetes to undergo coordinated pretrial proceedings, including discovery and motions practice.
Individuals who allegedly developed Type 2 diabetes after they began taking Lipitor may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Find out more about filing a Lipitor lawsuit at Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. To arrange for a free legal review, please call 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 11 consecutive years.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
800-511-5092
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 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.lipitorlawsuitcenter.com/
https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author
Felecia L. Stern, Lipitor Lawsuit Diabetes Information Center, http://www.lipitorlawsuitcenter.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
Share this article