New research has suggested that fractures of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, the subject of a growing wave of litigation in recent years, may be the result of flattening and other movement of the vena cava itself. The insights were published in July by the Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings... Read more »

A federal judge has selected three cases to serve as early trials in the growing litigation involving IVC filters manufactured by Cook Medical. Approximately 500 cases are currently pending in multidistrict litigation that has been assigned to an Indiana federal court. The outcome of these early trials may provide insight... Read more »

IVC filters are designed to protect patients from life-threatening blood clots, but two recently filed class action lawsuits in Canada claim the opposite. In January, Wendy Kopeck filed a $200 million class action lawsuit against Cook Medical after doctors deemed her IVC filter removal surgery too risky to perform back in... Read more »

To date, plaintiffs have filed about 100 Bard IVC filter lawsuits in federal court, although that number is expected to climb. The parties have recently proposed a discovery schedule for the cases, which may allow the first federal bellwether trials to be scheduled as early as 2017. The parties have... Read more »

The wave of litigation concerning inferior vena cava filter devices shows no sign of slowing as claims continue to mount nationwide. Plaintiffs in increasing numbers are filing lawsuits in which it is alleged that the filters, designed to prevent the travel of dangerous blood clots within the body, are prone... Read more »

Several attorneys who are representing plaintiffs in the Bard IVC filter multidistrict litigation (MDL) have applied for leadership roles, which would give them various responsibilities during the coordinated pretrial proceedings. Plaintiffs with cases pending in the MDL against C.R. Bard claim that the implanted medical devices can cause serious damages... Read more »

Bellwether selection has begun in the coordinated proceedings involving Cook vena cava filter lawsuits. Ten cases have been selected by representatives for the plaintiffs and the defendants, which will now go through case-specific discovery. Four of those cases will then be identified as bellwether trials, which are scheduled to begin... Read more »

IVC filters are designed to catch blood clots before they reach the heart or lungs, and are indicated for patients who cannot tolerate blood thinning medications. The main purpose of this medical device is to prevent pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal. Missouri resident Catherine Rowden claims that on September... Read more »

IVC filters are designed to catch life-threatening blood clots before they cause a pulmonary embolism, but when implanted over the long-term, struts from the filter have been known to fracture, triggering serious complications or even death. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has decided to consolidate at least... Read more »