Skip to main content

J&J's Effort To Avoid A Punitive Damages Trial Denied

J&J's Effort To Avoid A Punitive Damages Trial Denied

J&J's Effort To Avoid A Punitive Damages Trial Denied

Introduction

Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) effort to avoid a Risperdal punitive damages trial has been denied by Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Arnold L New.

The plaintiff had already won $1.75 million in 2015 over his claims against the pharmaceutical giant for causing him to develop gynecomastia, an undesired growth of breast tissue in males,  after using the antipsychotic drug. The court records indicate that the plaintiff began taking Risperdal as a 9-year-old in 2003 to treat symptoms of autism, although the drug was prescribed for adults at that time. The plaintiff alleged that J&J unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. knew about the potential risks but disregarded the dangers.

This lawsuit was one of the first to go to trial in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas as part of a mass tort program. During the initial verdict, a global order in the Risperdal mass tort program barred punitive damages. In mid-August, the plaintiff urged the judge that under Maryland law, one can recover punitive damages if they can show that a defendant knew about the danger and yet disregarded the potential harm to others. However, J&J argued over the punitive damages stating the exact evidence that the plaintiff maintained has been rejected by Maryland courts as insufficient.

The new punitive damages trial will begin on Sept. 16 in a Philadelphia courtroom.

Comments

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Latest News

NC to Get $150M to Boost Opioid Treatment, Recovery

Categories: Opioids

North Carolina will receive an additional $150 million from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family as part of a national $7.4 billion settlement related to the opioid

SRI Gets FDA OK for High-Dose Naloxone Trial

Categories: Opioids

SRI has received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin Phase 1 clinical trials of a new, high-dose injectable naloxone formulation.

The approval was granted under an Investigational New Drug (IND)…

Spokane County to Get $5M in New Opioid Settlement

Categories: Opioids

Jurisdictions within Spokane County are set to receive nearly $4.7 million as part of a sweeping $7.4 billion nationwide settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family.

The agreement addresses the company’s role in fueling…

✍️ FREE—3000 Pages Medical Record Review Trial!                
No Contract. No Risk—Fully Customized, Free!

Only 10 Firms Accepted—Offer Ends June 30!