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 […]

$2.5 M Risperdal Verdict Upheld in Superior Court

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld the 2015 $2.5 million Risperdal verdict for plaintiff Austin Pledger. Pledger’s case was the first Risperdal case to go to trial. Viewed as a huge win for plaintiffs, the decision bodes well for the future litigation of 6,500 plaintiffs whose suits against Janssen Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Johnson & […]

J&J Settles Days Before Risperdal Trial

After years of litigation and several court losses for harm caused by Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson’s legal team agreed to settle the suit of a young boy from Mississippi who claims he developed female-like breasts after taking the drug Risperdal. The plaintiff began taking Risperdal in 2004 after he was tentatively diagnosed with bipolar disorder. J&J […]

PA Supreme Court Will Hear Appeal of Risperdal Time-Bar

The PA Supreme Court has agreed to review a Superior Court decision which would dismiss thousands of Risperdal cases due to statute of limitations. The two cases on appeal, Saksek v. Janssen and Winter v. Janssen, were dismissed for failing to bring a claim with in the applicable two year statue of limitations. The Supreme Court’s decision would […]

MI Law May Prevent Recovery of Millions Spent Fighting Opioid Crisis

As the nation’s opioid crisis continues 162 of the 600 people recently charged with healthcare fraud were healthcare professionals who contributed to the nation’s fastest and most deadly epidemic. Conducted nationwide, this was the largest health care fraud investigation. Last year, more than 400 people were charged, 115 of them were doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals […]

Sheller Joins Phila. in Suit Against Opioid Manufacturers

Sheller PC is one of five private law firms assisting the city of Philadelphia’s Law Department in its suit against pharmaceutical companies attempting to hold them accountable for the current opioid crisis. Five pharmaceutical companies are named in the suit: Allergan, Janssen (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and manufacturer of Risperdal), Endo, Cephalon, and […]

Superior Court Allows Punitive Damages in Risperdal Mass Torts

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In a significant ruling by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), will now face punitive damages in Risperdal mass tort suits. A previous Philadelphia trial court ruling prohibited punitive damages.  Boys and young men who developed gynecomastia, female-like breasts, from taking the antipsychotic drug and whose cases had already […]

SCOTUS Ruling Increases Risperdal Suits in PA

Risperdal litigation in Philadelphia courts have increased significantly this year and the trend is likely to continue. Mass torts against Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, over it’s antipsychotic drug Risperdal has nearly tripled in Pennsylvania. Plaintiff attorneys say the biggest cause for the recent influx is the expiration of a tolling agreement between Janssen […]