The news is full of examples of major companies being sued for damage caused by their products. As a Florida personal injury lawyer, I help individuals fight against big corporations and their teams of lawyers in order to guarantee that those hurt by the negligence of others receive the compensation they deserve.
What is an MDL case?
A multidistrict lawsuit (MDL) refers to a mass tort, or a circumstance in which many people are suing a manufacturer over the same product. To simplify the process and keep the court system from being overwhelmed, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) may determine that a certain type of case should be handled as an MDL, in which a single judge is appointed to oversee the discovery, pre-trial motions, and settlement conferences since the processes would be similar in all cases.
For instance, if 10,000 people are suing over injuries caused by Roundup, it’s unnecessary and inefficient for 10,000 lawyers to perform the same discovery process, which involves interviewing and getting documentation from the company and its employees. This can be done once and applied to all cases.
The difference between an MDL and a class action lawsuit is that a class action lawsuit involves one case in which there is one settlement that all plaintiffs get a small piece of. MDLs are still considered separate cases with separate plaintiffs who can each receive a separate ruling or settlement. This is because in MDL cases, there is usually a wide variety of injuries or levels of severity. These cases are heard in their own state. For instance, Florida residents would have their Roundup MDL cases heard in front of a Florida judge.
Major tort lawsuits as of 2022
The types of cases that are generally made mass tort or MDLs involve pharmaceuticals, chemicals, medical devices, and product liability. Some major MDLs currently active in the U.S. court system include:
- 3M earplugs – This is the largest consolidated mass tort MDL in the history of the federal court system, and cases continue to be filed against 3M for defective ear gear that was issued to military personnel and failed to protect their hearing.
- Camp Lejeune water contamination – Water supplied to the camp and family homes of soldiers between 1953 and 1987 was heavily contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals, causing high rates of cancer, birth defects, and other medical conditions. A recent law passed by the federal government is finally allowing victims to sue the government for this negligence.
- Johnson & Johnson talcum powder – Use of talcum powder has been connected to cancer in women
- C.R. Bard hernia mesh and other manufacturers of medical mesh – Defective products cause medical complications
- Prilosec and Nexium proton-pump-inhibitors – Long-term use is connected to kidney failure and chronic kidney disease
- Elmiron drug for bladder conditions – May cause eye damage.
- Roundup – Herbicide used in agriculture, both large-scale farms and family homes, found to be connected to cancer
- Paraquat – Another commercial herbicide used in large-scale agriculture, linked to Parkinson’s disease
- Paragard IUD – Birth control implant that can fracture and leave plastic shards inside the woman’s body
- Firefighting foam – Chronic exposure can cause many kinds of cancer
- Infant formula made from cow’s milk – Can cause potentially deadly infections in pre-term babies
- CPAP and BiPAP – Device for sleep apnea had degrading foam that could have been inhaled
- Zantac heartburn drug and similar generics – Potentially cancer-causing impurities found in the drug by an independent test lab, after 40 years of its approval by the FDA
- Essure permanent birth control – Connected to severe complications in women
If you have been harmed by any of these products, or if you believe you’ve been harmed by any other pharmaceutical, medical, or chemical product, please do not hesitate to contact me at (954) 448-7288 for a free consultation.
As a Florida personal injury lawyer, I am committed to helping Florida residents throughout the state receive just and fair compensation to help them cope with the injuries they have sustained through someone else’s negligence. Contact me today to see how I can help you.