Risperdal Lawsuit in Montana Ends in $5.9 Million Settlement, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit have agreed to pay $5.9 Million to settle a Risperdal lawsuit (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) that accused the companies of improperly marketing the atypical antipsychotic medication, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed in 2008 by the Montana State Attorney General, and had accused the companies of employing illegal, unfair, and deceptive practices in the marketing of Risperdal. The state had also claimed that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen were aware of research that indicated Risperdal could put patients at risk for serious side effects, but concealed those dangers.  In agreeing to settle the case, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen did not admit to any wrongdoing.

"Some of the allegations put forth in this lawsuit echo those contained in product liability claims filed on behalf of alleged victims of Risperdal gynecomastia and other side effects," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal consultations to young men and boys who allegedly developed Risperdal gynecomastia, or male breast growth, due to their use of the antipsychotic medication.

Risperdal Lawsuits

Montana is just one of a number of states that have filed suit against Johnson & Johnson and Janssen over the marketing of Risperdal. According to court documents, the companies are currently appealing judgments awarded to the states of South Carolina and Arkansas in similar cases. Last month, the Louisiana Supreme Court granted their appeal of another Risperdal lawsuit, and overturned a $257 million judgment awarded to the state in 2010.

In November 2013, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle charges with the U.S. Department of Justice involving the marketing of Risperdal and other medications. Among other things, federal prosecutors had charged that Risperdal was improperly marketed for use in children, and accused the companies of concealing the risk of Risperdal gynecomastia. As part of the settlement, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen pled guilty to a single criminal misdemeanor charge of misbranding the medication as a treatment for elderly dementia patients.  However, the companies did not admit wrongdoing in resolving the charges pertaining to the marketing of Risperdal for children.

Court documents indicate that Risperdal is the subject of more than 200 product liability claims pending in a consolidated litigation in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court in Pennsylvania. Dozens of these lawsuits were filed on behalf of alleged victims of Risperdal gynecomastia. Plaintiffs in these Risperdal lawsuits allege that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen concealed this risk from patients and doctors, and assert that the companies improperly marketed Risperdal for use in children long before the drug was cleared for such uses in 2006. (Risperdal Litigation, case number 100300296)

Individuals who may have suffered Risperdal gynecomastia due to their use of this medication could be entitled to compensation from Johnson & Johnson and Janssen. Learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit by visiting Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To arrange for a free case review, please contact the Firm directly by calling (888) 340-4807.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since the list was first published in 2003.

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Contact Information: 
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/ 
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP