Pennsylvania Court Overseeing Hundreds of Risperdal Lawsuits Dismisses Gynecomastia Claim Over Statute of Limitations Issues, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, New York (PRWEB) January 20, 2015 -- Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/) that allege the antipsychotic medication may cause gynecomastia (male breast growth) and other serious side effects continue to move forward in a mass tort litigation currently underway in Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. According to an Order dated January 13, 2015, the Court has dismissed one Risperdal gynecomastia claim brought on behalf of a 24-year-old man who had allegedly developed the condition due to childhood use of the medication. In granting a defense motion for summary judgment, the Court found that the Plaintiff’s claims were not timely filed. (Case No. 1403-01170)
According to his lawsuit, the Plaintiff took Risperdal from 1997 to 1998. By the end of 1998, he became aware through self-observation that he was suffering from the symptoms of gynecomastia. However, his lawsuit asserted that he did not learn of the link between Risperdal and male breast growth until 2013. In dismissing the Risperdal lawsuit, the Court found that statute of limitations governing the case began to run on June 30, 2009 for plaintiffs who began taking Risperdal prior to October 2006, when the drug’s warnings were updated.
“Our Firm is representing numerous individuals who have Risperdal gynecomastia claims pending in this litigation, so this decision is of great interest. We will be monitoring developments pertaining to this matter very closely,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal consultations to men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal.
Risperdal Litigation
Court records indicate that more than 1,200 Risperdal lawsuits have been filed in Pennsylvania on behalf of individuals who allegedly developed gynecomastia, diabetes and other serious side effects due to their use of the antipsychotic medication. All of the claims accuse Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit of failing to provide patients and doctors with adequate warnings about the risks potentially associated with its use. Specifically, the Risperdal gynecomastia cases allege that the companies failed to adequately warn that use the medication could result in an overproduction of prolactin. Higher-than-normal levels of prolactin, a hormone that plays a role in female breast development, has been linked to excessive growth of breast tissue in men and boys. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296)
According to court documents, the Risperdal lawsuits pending in Pennsylvania also claim that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen improperly promoted the drug for unapproved, off-label uses, including certain pediatric indications prior to their 2006 regulatory approval. In November 2013, the companies resolved similar allegations levied by the U.S. Department of Justice when they agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle criminal and civil charges involving the marketing of Risperdal and other drugs. While the drug makers did plead guilty to promoting Risperdal for off-label use in elderly dementia patients, court records indicate that they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving any of the other allegations, including claims that they had marketed Risperdal for off-label use in children. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)
Victims of gynecomastia allegedly related to the use of Risperdal may be entitled to file their own lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Janssen. To learn more about pursuing a Risperdal lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. For a free case 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. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. 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 it was first published in 2003.
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2015 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.
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/
https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author
Felecia L. Stern, Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuit Center, http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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