Risperdal Lawsuit News: $2.2 Billion Federal Settlement Was Pennsylvania’s Largest Qui Tam Case, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, New York (PRWEB) November 12, 2014 -- As the litigation involving Risperdal and gynecomastia (http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/risperdal-gynecomastia/) continues to grow, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that last year’s landmark $2.2 billion settlement between the manufacturers of the drug and the federal government was Pennsylvania’s largest involving a qui tam, or whistleblower case. A recent analysis of court documents also reveals that the case, which was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, was only the sixth in Pennsylvania to result in a settlement or award of more than $1 billion since 1994. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)
“This settlement, which was announced a year ago today, resolved charges that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals improperly marketed a number of medications, including Risperdal. A year after its announcement, both companies continue to face hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits on the state level, all of which were filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly experienced gynecomastia and other side effects due to their use of the medication. Many of these claims raise similar questions about the company’s marketing tactics,” 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
The federal settlement was announced last November, and ranked among the largest ever struck in a federal case involving healthcare fraud, according to the Department of Justice. Among other things, the companies pled guilty to a single criminal misdemeanor charge of misbranding Risperdal as a treatment for elderly dementia patients. However, they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving the charges pertaining to the marketing of Risperdal for children.
According to court documents, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen are also named defendants in more than 900 Risperdal lawsuits that were filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly experienced serious side effects related to it use. The docket includes numerous cases that link the medication to the development of gynecomastia, a condition marked by the excess development of breast tissue in boys and men, as well as breast swelling, tenderness and nipple discharge. Among other things, the claims accuse Johnson & Johnson and Janssen of failing to warn patients and doctors that Risperdal can cause the body to produce excess amounts of prolactin, a hormone tied to female breast growth and lactation. The companies are also accused of improperly marketing Risperdal for off-label pediatric uses. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296).
Men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages. To learn more about filing 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. © 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.
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuit Center, http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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