Risperdal Lawsuits Move Forward, as Arkansas Supreme Court Prepares to Hear Appeal in Risperdal Marketing Case, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As scores of Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) alleging injury due to use of the antipsychotic drug continue to move forward in courts throughout the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that the Arkansas Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal of a $ 1 billion fine levied against the makers of the drug in a case that involved the marketing of Risperdal. According to documents filed in the matter, the Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on February 27, 2014. (State of Arkansas v. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., CV07-15345)

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The Risperdal lawsuit in question was filed by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, and accused Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit of concealing the risks associated with the medication. The state also charged that the companies had deceptively marketed Risperdal as being better and safer than competing medications.  In 2012, the Arkansas state court judge overseeing the case levied a $5,000 fine against the drug makers for each Risperdal prescription purchased through the state Medicaid program over a 3 ½ year period. The companies were also ordered to pay a fine of 2,500 for each of the more than 4,500 letters Janssen sent to Arkansas doctors to promote the use of Risperdal.

"We are watching this case very closely, as the charges brought by the state of Arkansas relate to certain of the claims contained in many of the product liability lawsuits filed by alleged victims of Risperdal gynecomastia," 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 gynecomastia, or male breast growth, due to their use of Risperdal.

Risperdal Lawsuits

According to court documents, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen have been named in more than 200 Risperdal lawsuits that are currently pending in a consolidated litigation in Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, all of which allege use of the drug caused patients to develop gynecomastia and other serious side effects. Plaintiffs further allege that the drug was improperly marketed for use in children long before it was approved for pediatric uses in 2006, and that the companies concealed side effects associated with the medication. (Risperdal Litigation, case number 100300296)

The state of Arkansas and plaintiffs in Risperdal lawsuits are not alone in claiming that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen improperly marketed the drug and concealed its risks. This past November, the companies agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle similar charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice involving Risperdal and other medications. Under the terms of the settlement, the drug makers entered a guilty plea to one criminal misdemeanor charge involving the illegal promotion of Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving civil charges over the alleged marketing of the drug for pediatric uses.

Men or boys who allegedly developed Risperdal gynecomastia may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. 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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Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/ 
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP