$8 Billion Risperdal Case Reward Reduced to $6.8 Million by Judge
Risperdal Injury Case Slashed Down
This past Friday the 24th, a Pennsylvania judge reduced the significant reward of $8 billion dollars for a successful lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over their product, Risperdal, to $6.8 million. Risperdal was a commonly prescribed antipsychotic drug that caused a number of dangerous side effects that injured many people that went on to file lawsuits like the one that recently has had its reward cut down to size.
The Philadelphia judge named Kenneth Powell of the Court of Common Pleas brought down the amount that was to be paid out by Johnson & Johnson to a plaintiff named Nicholas Murray. So far, no reason has been given for why such a reduction of such magnitude was initiated but Murray's reward for his successful lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson was only one of many thousands of lawsuits that have successfully sued Johnson & Johnson over their drug, Risperdal.
Nicholas Murray and Johnson & Johnson Risperdal Case
Nicholas Murray is a Maryland resident that was prescribed Risperdal back in 2003 at the age of 9 years old in order to help treat symptoms related to autism. Upon developing symptoms from Risperdal use such as the infamous development of feminine breast tissue, also known as gynecomastia, Murray sued the massive medical product manufacturer and received restitution that is now being reduced.
When it comes to Risperdal lawsuits, there has been a large quantity of people affected by the negligent acts of Johnson & Johnson and as a result, the medical product manufacturer stated that they faced lawsuits over the product's dangerous effects from 13,600 people. In 2013 Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay out $2.2 billion in order to avoid criminal and civil probes into its marketing of not only Risperdal but two other drugs they manufactured as well.
Overall, Johnson & Johnson's handling of these Risperdal lawsuits could be considered problematic, to say the least, which is really not unusual for lawsuits of this nature where major companies stand to lose billions over their negligence. The massive pharmaceutical company, Bayer, has had similar woes in regard to their own batch of lawsuits over their Roundup weedkiller causing cancer development among consumers. Both companies have been found to take measures to obscure the facts on what their products are capable of doing and now both are having the payouts of successful lawsuits reduced from billions to millions.
What doe this Mean for My Risperdal Case?
The reduction of rewards of high profile lawsuits like this Risperdal suit is not entirely unusual. As mentioned before, the same has happened with the Bayer Roundup weedkiller lawsuits. Parties with so much to lose like Johnson & Johnson have immense resources at their disposal and will do everything possible to ensure that they lose the minimal amount of money. This means that they will appeal these cases and exhaust their legal options to at least reduce the money they have to payout. In this case with the Murray case, there has been no reason specified for the reduction so far but it is safe to assume that the details will impact the many thousands of people still waiting for compensation for Risperdal caused injuries.
How Can Risperdal Hurt Someone?
As mentioned before, one of the primary reasons for many Risperdal lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson is because of how the antipsychotic can cause the development of feminine breast tissue among the males that use it. However, this is only one of many side effects that the drug causes that has harmed many people.
Common Side Effects
Risperdal or Risperidone as is it is also known has several side effects that can plague those that take it. Some of the more simple side effects can include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and fatigue which many other drugs will occasionally cause within some users.
Early Breast Development and Lactation
One of the other side effects of Risperdal is lactation among young girls that have taken the drug. Risperdal causes the secretion of a hormone known as prolactin which causes the growth of feminine breast tissue among boys that take Risperdal but also affects young girls by causing the early onset of milk production and lactation. Young girls that take Risperdal also have also been shown to develop breasts too early as a result of this prolactin secretion caused by the drug.
Movement Disorder Side Effects
Risperdal can also cause movement disorders among users of the drug. Risperdal users can exhibit what are called extrapyramidal symptoms or EPS which consist of violent and abrupt movements. These symptoms can develop into a permanent problem and can persist even after people stop taking Risperdal. These movements can take the form of facial tics, spasms in the neck and limbs, restlessness, and drooling.
Florida Risperdal Injury Attorneys
If you or your child have been injured by Risperdal, Risperidone, or Invega, contact the experienced defective drug attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. We are well-known for pursuing large corporations and making them pay for their negligence. Just look at our long list of successful case results that have secured satisfying settlements for a number of clients.
When you hire Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA as your legal representation you are ensuring that your case is given the undivided attention of a firm that will not only communicate with you every step of the way like a smaller firm but will provide the resources and expertise one can expect from a larger firm. The attorneys of Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA specialize in handling cases involving medication that companies negligently put on the market and ended up cause severe injuries to people like you. The best thing you can do if you feel that something like this has happened to you is at least talk to an attorney. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA offers free consultations to people with cases involving Risperdal.
You can contact us by calling our office at (833) 606-DRUG [3784] or by filling out our contact form.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
(833) 606-DRUG [3784]
https://www.dolmanlaw.com/florida-drug-injury-lawyer/
Matthew Dolman
Personal Injury Lawyer
This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has represented over 11,000 injury victims and has served as lead counsel in over 1000 lawsuits. Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.
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