Risperdal Lawsuit News: Johnson & Johnson Wins Appeal of $257 Million Louisiana Risperdal Verdict, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson has been successful in its bid to have a $257 million verdict rendered in a Louisiana Risperdal lawsuit (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) overturned, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to court documents, the Louisiana Supreme Court voted 4-3 to reverse a 2012 decision by a state appeals court to uphold the verdict, ruling that Louisiana prosecutors hadn't proven that Johnson & Johnson violated the state's healthcare assistance laws by making misleading statements that convinced doctors to prescribe the atypical antipsychotic, even though there were less expensive and safer alternatives available. (Caldwell v. Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc., Civil Action 2012-C-2466, Supreme Court of Louisiana)

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According to a report from Reuters, the Louisiana Risperdal lawsuit was not part of the $2.2 settlement that Johnson & Johnson reached with the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2013. The federal case also involved allegations that Risperdal was improperly marketed by the company and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit.

"Johnson & Johnson and Janssen are still facing dozens of Risperdal lawsuits on behalf of individuals who allegedly developed gynecomastia or other side effects due to their use of this medication. That litigation will continue to move forward, in spite of the ruling in Louisiana," 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 men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia, or male breast growth, due to their use of Risperdal.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Allegations

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, a condition marked by the excess development of male breast tissue. Plaintiffs in these Risperdal lawsuits allege that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen concealed this risk from patients and doctors. The claims also 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)

The settlement announced by the U.S. Department of Justice this past November resolved allegations that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen improperly promoted Risperdal and other drugs. Among other things, federal prosecutors had also charged that Risperdal was improperly marketed to children, and accused the companies of concealing its association with male breast growth. 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.

Alleged victims of Risperdal male breast growth may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. To learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit, please visit 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 11 consecutive years.

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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