A jury verdict has a drama, a momentousness, a sense of climax and conclusion, which is, more often than not, an illusion. The verdict makes for great television, of course, but cases, though they are rarely tried to jury verdict, rarely end when a verdict is reached. This is undoubtedly particularly the case when […]
Update #2 (April 15, 2011): Before an appeal to the Eighth Circuit, defendants take another run at reversing the bad outcome of trial before U.S. District Court Judge John R. Tunheim (D. Minn.) Update (March 9, 2011, in the p.m.): Here comes the next bellwether case (starting May 31, 2011, 9 a.m., Minneapolis – Defendants […]
The jury awarded John Schedin $700,000 in compensatory damages (with 75% liability assigned to J&J, 25% shared between Schedin and his personal doctor). $1.115 million in punitive damages. The Johnson & Johnson shareholders do not seem overly concerned.
UPDATE: John Schedin’s “bellwether” Levaquin case is heading to the jury… November 30, 2010 P0st: John Schedin took the medicine Levaquin in 2005 and soon after suffered injury to both his achilles tendons, a known risk of the drug for a relatively small number of users of the drug, an antibiotic. Levaquin included a warning […]
Update (January 16, 2015): Everything is bigger in Texas. Texan Mikal Watts is one of the biggest plaintiffs’ lawyers in the United States (and not immune from suspicion of wrong-doing, incidentally). About five years ago, Minnesota Litigator followed his trial win in the Levaquin litigation for plaintiff, John Schedin (discussed below). They don’t really get bigger […]
A “bellwether” is the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck. It is supposed to lead the way for the following sheep. But what if two bellwethers head in opposite directions? Johnson & Johnson has faced two “bellwether” lawsuits to determine whether the pharmaceutical should be liable for ruptured achilles’ tendons […]
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies are in business to make money by providing medicine, treatments, or devices that promote health, of course. It would take a profound cynicism on the one hand (if one were to argue they do not wish to promote health) or profound idealism on the other hand (if one were to […]
Many have followed the Levaquin litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota before U.S. District Court Judge John R. Tunheim. Plaintiffs’ lawyers won big in Round #1, the case of John Schedin. They did not fare so well in Round #2, the case of Calvin Christenson. Minnesota Litigator cannot go through […]