MDL panel will hear oral arguments on Jan. 25, to determine whether port reservoir defect lawsuits should be combined with other Bard port lawsuits being pursued over problems with the catheter material.
Judge has approved a new streamlined process for plaintiffs to file Bard Power Port lawsuits directly in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, where the federal litigation is centralized.
The presiding judge has determined that six Bard PowerPort lawsuits will ultimately be chosen for the first bellwether trials.
Lawsuit indicates that the failure to warn patients and the medical community about the risk of Bard PowerPort complications contributed to the development of a life-threatening infection for an Illinois woman.
Plaintiffs and defendants suggest an initial pool of 48 Bard PowerPort lawsuits be selected as part of an initial discovery pool, which will be prepared for a series of early trial dates in the federal Multidistrict Litigation (MDL)
Manufacturers allegedly withheld information from patients and the medical community about problems with the port catheter design, which increased the risk of Bard PowerPorts becoming infected
Lawsuit indicates that an Illinois woman suffered devastating injuries when a Bard PowerPort catheter fractured, causing small pieces to make their way into her heart.
Separate from a federal court MDL established earlier this year, plaintiffs estimate there will be more than 500 Bard Power Port lawsuits filed in New Jersey state courts in coming weeks and months.
Doctors struggled to remove the fractured chemo port from plaintiff's jugular vein, after a Bard PowerPort fragment pierced one of the chambers of her heart.
The judge has asked Bard Port catheter attorneys and defendants to file a joint plan to select bellwether test cases for early trials over claims the PowerPorts are defective, leading to fractures and device failures.
