Federal Judge Joseph Goodwin, who is presiding over vaginal mesh litigation in the Southern District of West Virginia, ruled that the claimant in a suit against Boston Scientific can proceed with her punitive damages claim. In his order, issued April 13, Judge Goodwin found that Sharon Kay Pelkey sufficiently alleged... Read more »

In a decision that greatly impacts Stryker and its subsidiary Howmedica Osteonics for years to come, a federal judge ruled on April 17, 2015 that plaintiffs who underwent revision surgery after filing a Stryker hip lawsuit can now file a Notice of Revision Surgery that will amend the plaintiff’s prior pleadings in... Read more »

Joseph E. Kirkland was a recipient of the Durom Acetabular Component, or Durom Cup, a hip implant designed and manufactured by Zimmer Holdings, Inc. Now, he’s suing Zimmer for what he calls defects that “presented an unreasonably dangerous risk.” Kirkland claims that the allegedly defective Durom Cup hip failed prematurely,... Read more »

A South Carolina man has filed a morcellator cancer lawsuit against Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., on behalf of his deceased mother. Michael Watkins believes his mother, Enid Watkins died an untimely death as a result of a hysterectomy using morcellation. On May 5, 2011, Enid Watkins underwent a supracervical hysterectomy and... Read more »

The majority of medical product liability cases are filed in federal district courts. Accordingly, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure apply to each case from the initial complaint to the final appeal. These rules were enacted by Congress and are perpetually being amended and updated, requiring the savvy litigator to... Read more »

U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin, who has previously attempted to facilitate transvaginal mesh settlement negotiations for more than 70,000 lawsuits, has ordered another joint status conference for the representatives of the parties involved with mesh cases currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.... Read more »

U.S. District Judge David Katz has extended the deadline for plaintiffs with DePuy hip lawsuits in the federal court system, who have not had their recalled hip removed or replaced to move forward with their claim. He has indicated that initial discovery must be complete by April 30, in cases that... Read more »

The first hysterectomy morcellation lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania has been scheduled for trial in November 2015. The complaint, which marked the first of dozens involving power morcellators, was filed by a husband on behalf of his deceased wife. According to the plaintiff, his wife died after a power morcellator used... Read more »

Today we can barely imagine an invasive surgery without the constant presence of electronic monitors and patient sensors – all designed to ensure the anesthetized patient remains safely under sedation during the procedure. While technological advancements in the medical field are undoubtedly a much-needed and welcome evolution in many contexts, the... Read more »

Bellwether selection is underway in the coordination of Mirena IUD lawsuits in New Jersey State Court. Superior Court Judge Brian Martinotti, who oversees the multi-county litigation, has ordered parties involved in the coordination to select 14 cases to be prepared for a second round of early trials, known as bellwether... Read more »