#1 Agreement to settle nearly 38,000 Bard hernia mesh lawsuitsColumbus, OH - Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), the parent company of BARD, has agreed to settle about 38,000 hernia mesh lawsuits. Reports indicate that the total payouts could exceed $1 Billion. The mesh lawsuits, some of which go back almost 20 years, allege that Bard designed defective mesh products, failed to adequately test them, and didn’t properly warn users about potential risks.
#2 Sen. Warren Raises the Alarm over Catalent/Novo Nordisk MergerWashington, DC - On October 10, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, urging the FTC to closely review a proposed merger between Novo Nordisk and Catalent. Catalent is one of the very few suppliers that provide specialized development and manufacturing services to GLP-1 manufacturers. The letter urges the FTC to block the deal if it could hurt Americans by limiting competition and raising the price of life-saving medicine. Not coincidentally, killing competition might also limit the development of drugs without the dangerous side effects of Ozempic.
#3 A Setback for Suboxone Film Plaintiffs: Northern District of Ohio's Dismissal DecisionCleveland, OH - On September 10, 2024, the Northern District of Ohio dismissed claims against Indivior PLC and two Reckitt Benckiser entities in Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation in the multidistrict litigation centralized in the Northern District of Ohio. The court’s decision is a significant setback for individuals who suffered serious Suboxone side effects and dental damage from using the sublingual film form of the drug. They allege that Indivior and other defendants failed to adequately warn about the potential for dental erosion and decay associated with the film's acidic properties.
#4 More Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Filed, Still Contain FormaldehydeSanta Clara, CA - Just five months after a study published in 2021 showed a link between the use of hair straightener, women—and mostly Black women—diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancers began filing hair relaxer lawsuits. By 2023, the FDA proposed a ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in the hair products, with an April 2024 deadline. Incredibly, April came and went and formaldehyde stayed. And the lawsuits are increasing. This October alone, 200 new cases joined the hair relaxer class action lawsuit.
#5 da Vinci Robot Allegedly Marketed to Less-Skilled DoctorsSunnyvale, CA - As the first da Vinci lawsuit gets underway, one witness has testified in the da Vinci robot lawsuit that the surgical device was marketed specifically to surgeons that were identified by the device’s maker as being less skilled. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly investigating problems with the da Vinci robot.
#6 Zantac Maker Agrees to $2.2 Billion SettlementSanta Clara, CA - The drug maker GSK agreed a few weeks ago to pay up to $2.2 billion to resolve Zantac lawsuits. The blockbuster heartburn drug, which was sold over-the-counter, was removed from the market in 2020 after the FDA ordered all ranitidine (the generic name) products withdrawn, citing unacceptable levels of the chemical N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen.
#7 Suboxone Tooth Decay MDL – Status UpdateCleveland, OH - In recent years, Suboxone, a critical medication used to treat opioid addiction, has come under fire for its unintended side effects—specifically, severe tooth decay. While the drug has helped millions overcome opioid dependence, patients across the country have filed dangerous drug lawsuits claiming that Suboxone caused serious dental problems, leading to painful and costly procedures as well as social isolation for some individuals. These claims have been consolidated in an ongoing multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of Ohio, where patients are suing the manufacturers of Suboxone for failing to warn about the risk of tooth decay.
#8 Cinepolis Charged with Multiple California Labor Law ViolationsLos Angeles, CA - On October 21, Jacqueline Honorio filed a proposed class action lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of at least 100 individuals who worked for USA Cinema Services LLC, which does business as Cinepolis. Honorio v. USA Cinema Services LLC alleges that Cinepolis violated the California labor code in a wide variety of ways.
#9 Understanding Liability in Pedestrian Accidents: Who’s Responsible?Fort Lauderdale, FL - Florida's roads are among the most perilous in the nation for pedestrians, with a grim statistic to underline the risk: over the past decade, the state has averaged 3.43 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, ranking it as having the second-highest pedestrian death toll in the United States. This alarming rate highlights the critical importance of understanding pedestrian safety and the legal implications that follow pedestrian accidents, especially in places like Fort Lauderdale. Establishing liability in such personal injury cases is essential, as it determines who is legally at fault for the often devastating consequences of these accidents.
#10 Wells Fargo Settles Disability Discrimination Suit for 22.1 millionCharlotte, NC - A former Wells Fargo Securities supervisor was awarded $22.1 million by a federal court jury in Charlotte in July. Christopher Billesdon’s disability and age discrimination lawsuit accused the San Francisco-based bank of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and wrongful discharge under North Carolina state law. However, the bank asked the court in August to toss the jury’s decision.
