Yaz Lawsuits: Status Update

As the lawsuits surrounding popular birth control medication Yaz are continuing to make their way through the legal system, the status of the cases are likely to change at any given moment. Over seven thousand plaintiffs have already filed suit against the German-based pharmaceutical brand that manufacturers the drospirenone-based fourth generation birth control pill due to side effects that have been experienced by an unprecedented number of women. These side effects include pulmonary embolism, gallbladder disease, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, blood clots, and heart attack.

Judge David Herndon was named as the overseeing judge in the Yaz multidistrict litigation case during the U.S. Judicial Panel’s move to consolidate the Yaz lawsuits in 2009. Multidistrict litigation, a process similar to class action, is intended to streamline and speed up the litigation process for cases that are similar to one another – but in this case, depositions have not been as efficient as expected due to disputes among representatives of each side.

Yaz lawyers on both sides of the debate argued whether or not to require foreign documents to be produced earlier this year. This, and other conflicts, led to Judge Herndon to appoint a special master to help deal with some of the issues at hand in the Yaz cases.
Bellwether trials in Yaz multidistrict litigation are set to begin next year, and will help both plaintiffs and defendants know what to expect when their Yaz trial reaches court. These trials will test the legal waters in regards to possible settlements and other issues within the trial, and the earliest bellwether trial could begin as early as the beginning of 2012.

Plaintiffs are looking for settlements from the pharmaceutical giant Bayer in order to help pay past and future medical bills and other expenses related to their Yaz side effects. Although it may take a while for each plaintiff’s case to see its day in court, it is likely that many eligible patients will receive compensation.