January 22, 2013 — Johnson & Johnson subsidiary company McNeill is currently facing dozens of lawsuits filed by plaintiffs who were injured or died of liver toxicity as a result of using Tylenol (acetaminophen).
Plaintiffs have requested that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation (JPML) should centralize these lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Drug-maker J&J is headquartered in Pennsylvania and most lawsuits are already filed in that court.
McNeill and J&J are currently facing 28 lawsuits in eight district courts, with 21 of the lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania. All of the lawsuits have been filed on behalf of plaintiffs who suffered from liver damage, toxicity, or failure after taking Tylenol. The drug-maker is accused of downplaying the risks and failing to adequately warn about the risk of overdosing and liver damage.
The plaintiffs have requested the formation of a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) because all of the lawsuits involve similar facts, injuries, and allegations against the drug-maker. According to the motion, these lawsuits allege that Tylenol was “aggressively marketed” for 33 years without proper warnings about the risk of liver damage. Commercials promoted Tylenol as the “most trusted” type of painkiller that doctors and pediatricians “recommend the most.”
Last week, another five Tylenol lawsuits were filed. Two of the lawsuits were filed on behalf of plaintiffs who died of liver failure after using Tylenol. Three lawsuits were filed by plaintiffs who used Extra Strength Tylenol or Tylenol PM and required hospitalization for liver damage.