August 8, 2012 — The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) has decided to centralize nationwide Pradaxa lawsuits into one federal court in the Southern District of Illinois before Judge David R. Herndon. There are currently 21 Pradaxa lawsuits pending in 11 district courts. These lawsuits and any future Pradaxa lawsuits will be transferred to Judge Herndon’s court.
The order was filed on August 8, 2012.
The court found that all of the Pradaxa lawsuits involved common injuries from plaintiffs who suffered serious bleeding or other injuries after taking Pradaxa. The plaintiffs all allege that Boehringer Ingelheim “did not adequately warn prescribing physicians of the risks associated with Pradaxa, including the potential for severe or fatal bleeding, and that there is no reversal agent to counteract Pradaxa’s anticoagulation effects.”
All of the parties supported creating an MDL, but there was disagreement about the location. Only Boehringer Ingelheim did not support the Illinois location in either the primary or alternate choice; they wanted Connecticut, which is where the U.S. division of the German company is headquartered.
The JPMDL chose the Illinois venue because 13 of the 40 actions (including tag-along actions) are pending in that district. The location is also geographically central in the U.S. and to nationwide Pradaxa lawsuits. There is also an action currently pending in Southern Illinois involving over 70 plaintiffs who were injured by Pradaxa.
Judge Herndon has also presided over the Yaz and Yasmin MDL, another large pharmaceutical products liability litigation involving upwards of 12,000 lawsuits. Although Boehringer Ingelheim opposed the choice of Judge Herndon, the judicial panel disagreed, pointing to his experience at handling the Yaz and Yasmin litigation.
Most large nationwide drug injury or medical device litigation is centralized into an MDL to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Centralizing the litigation reduces the risk of duplicative discovery, conflicting rulings in other courts, and more. Centralization in the Illinois district will also facilitate the transfer of Pradaxa lawsuits from state court into federal court.
Do I have a Pradaxa Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Pradaxa injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by severe bleeding, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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