Attorney From West Virginia is Part of Successful Lawsuit Against Drug-maker Johnson & Johnson

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- West Virginia lawyer Troy Giatras is part of a legal team that obtained $1.7 million in damages from pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for a Minnesota man in federal court in Minneapolis.

The jury awarded $1.1 million in punitive damages and $630,000 in compensatory damages to 82-year-old John Schedin of Edin, Minn. Five years ago, he ruptured or partially ruptured both Achilles tendons after taking the antibiotic Levaquin. The jury found Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson failed to provide adequate warning to patients and their physicians that Levaquin can cause tendon damage.

"I am pleased to have helped Mr. Schedin, a former Marine, obtain this verdict in his favor," Giatras said. "Because of the damage to his tendons, he now must crawl up stairs on his hands and knees just to go to bed."

Patients who have suffered tendon injuries after taking Levaquin have filed more than 2,600 lawsuits in state and federal courts nationwide. Schedin's case is among hundreds consolidated in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis and is the first to go to trial.

"Schedin has said he is less interested in the monetary damages than in ensuring other people don't face the problems he has had," Giatras said. "I'm glad that I, along with our team, were able to help him prove the case."

Giatras is head of The Giatras Law Firm, PLLC, and has practiced law in Charleston, W.Va., since 1990. The areas of law in which he practices include federal and state court cases involving white-collar crimes, civil and criminal litigation, automobile accidents and business litigation.

More information on the firm is available at: www.thewvlawfirm.com and www.thewvlawblog.com.

(NOTE:  Giatras is pronounced "GAT-rus" with a hard "G" and rhymes with "mattress.")

SOURCE The Giatras Law Firm, PLLC