Risperdal Lawsuit News: Bernstein Liebhard Comments on Whistleblower Rewards in Federal Risperdal Settlement

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) alleging use of the drug caused gynecomastia (male breast growth) and other serious side effects continue to mount in courts around the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that a new report is detailing the fundamental role whistleblowers played in a recently-announced $2.2 billion settlement between Johnson & Johnson and the federal government. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the accord, one of the largest healthcare settlements in history, resolved criminal and civil charges over the improper marketing of Risperdal and other medications.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/MM47134LOGO )

According to a report from Bloomberg.com, eight whistleblowers, including five former Johnson & Johnson employees, were vital to the 10-year probe that resulted in the landmark settlement. Seven of those whistleblowers will each receive a multimillion dollar share of the federal government's recovery. The eighth received $20.3 million last year when Johnson & Johnson reached a $158 million Risperdal settlement with Texas.

"The fact that whistleblowers were key to the Justice Department's investigation is not surprising. In these types of cases, evidence provided by insiders is sometimes the only way improper conduct is ever revealed," 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 due to their use of the antipsychotic medication.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits

The Justice Department announced the $2.2 billion settlement with Johnson & Johnson on November 4^th. Among other things, federal prosecutors had charged that Johnson & Johnson marketed Risperdal for use in children years before it received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to do so. The company was also accused of concealing certain side effects associated with the drug, including Risperdal male breast growth.  In resolving the charges, Johnson & Johnson agreed to plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor that it illegally marketed Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, it did not admit to wrongdoing in resolving civil charges over the alleged marketing of the drug for pediatric uses.

Some of the charges levied by the Justice Department echo those made in hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits currently pending in a consolidated litigation underway in Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Dozens of those claims involve allegations that use of the medication caused young boys and men to develop gynecomastia. (Risperdal Litigation, case number 100300296)

Individuals who may have developed Risperdal gynecomastia could be entitled to financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and more. To learn more about Risperdal male breast growth, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or contact the Firm directly by calling (888) 340-4807 to arrange for a free case review.

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 11 consecutive years.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
(888) 340-4807

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (888) 340-4807. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information: 
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/ 
https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author

SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP