Risperdal Case Reinstated After Janssen Appeal Denied
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear Janssen Pharmacuetical’s request for an appeal of a lower courts decision to reinstate the lawsuit of a Texas man who took Risperdal as a child. The Pennsylvania Superior Court’s decision to allow Tommy Moroni’s suit against Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, to go back to trial will stand. July 2019, the Pennsylvania […]
Superior Court Upholds $70M Risperdal Verdict
A Pennsylvania Superior Court has rejected Johnson & Johnson’s appeal of a 2016 $70 million verdict awarded to a 20 year-old Tennessee man, Andrew Yount (A.Y.) who developed gynecomastia after taking the antipsychotic drug Risperdal since he was 4-1/2 years old. Gynecomastia is an irreversible condition caused by an increase in the hormone prolactin and […]
Thousands of Risperdal Cases Previously Time-Barred, Reopened
In a 6 to 1 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court opened the door for thousands of pending Risperdal injury cases to proceed to trial. The seven-justice court ruled that a jury must decide, on a case by case basis, at which date the plaintiff should have had knowledge that the ingestion of Janssen Pharmaceuticals drug […]
Sheller Gives Presentations on Risperdal and Opioid Litigation
Stephen A. Sheller, founder of Sheller PC, is often sought for his expertise in litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers whose products cause harm to consumers. He recently has one of few private law firms chosen to work with the City of Philadelphia in opioid litigation. In October 2019 Sheller was an invited speaker at two conferences. October 12, 2019 “Big […]
Will Fines Change Corporate Culture That Caused Opioid Crisis?
An Oklahoma judge order Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals to pay a $572 million fine to the state for fueling the opioid crisis. This was the first case of its kind to go to trial and could influence similar claims by more than 40 states against the pharmaceutical industry. “As a matter of […]
Opioid Drugmakers May Be Liable Under Consumer Protection Laws
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been given approval by a state judge to move forward with with action against drugmakers and distributors for illegal marketing and sales of opioid painkillers resulting in a nationwide epidemic. The suit, a first of its kind, brings claims under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. The UTPCPL bans […]
New Trial for Risperdal Injury Previously Tossed
In another win for plaintiffs injured by Risperdal, a Pennsylvania appellate court reversed a trial courts decision to grant the defendants motion for nonsuit, mid-trial. This decision will send the case back to the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas for retrial. In the 2016 case of T.M. vs Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the trial judge decided mid-trial […]
Oklahoma Sues J&J Over Opioid Crisis
Purdue Pharma is named the main defendant in multiple city, state and local lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies that played a part in the current opioid crisis. The suits claim the drug maker’s aggressive marketing of its opioid painkiller OxyContin began the crisis more than two decades ago. News media has covered the crisis extensively, including John Oliver […]
J&J CEO May Testify in Risperdal Trial
Updated January 30, 2019 The eighth Risperdal case is set to go to trial, this time the stakes are even higher for both sides as the jury may award punitive damages to the plaintiff if wrongful conduct by Johnson & Johnson is proven. “We’re excited about the availability of punitive damages. All along, we thought […]
Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research
In Stephen Sheller’s book Lawyering In Times of Saints and Evil Doers (2015), Sheller tells the story of science for sale, the widespread conflict of interest created when doctors and researchers are influenced by payments they receive from pharmaceutical companies. In 2008, a Congressional inquiry led by Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) exposed the extensive conflict of interest […]
