July 28, 2015 — A dozen law firms have petitioned the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to centralize lawsuits involving C.R. Bard IVC filters into one federal court.
C.R. Bard makes the Recovery, G2, and G2 Express filters, which are temporary implants that are supposed to be retrieved after they are no longer necessary. The longer they remain in a patient, the higher the risk of filter fracture, migration, organ damage, and more.
In a motion to consolidate the litigation filed on May 18, lawyers said hundreds of lawsuit may eventually be filed and they requested centralization in Texas or Nevada. According to the motion (PDF):
“Recent studies … have shown that the filters have no efficacy. In fact, the filters have been shown to double the risk of pulmonary embolism, the very condition which they are intended to prevent.”
Recent studies have also found that 12% of the Bard IVC filters broke, but doctors were only able to retrieve the pieces in 54% of patients.
It would not be surprising if the JPML consolidated cases against C.R. Bard. Last year, judges centralized dozens of similar lawsuits against Cook Medical into a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2550) in the Southern District of Indiana. About 102 lawsuits involving Cook IVC filters are now pending before Judge Richard L. Young, according to an update (PDF) posted by the JPML on July 15.
Do I have an IVC Filter Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is evaluating IVC filter cases in all 50 states, regardless of whether you were injured or not. If you or someone you know received an IVC filter implant, please contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
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