The National Trial Lawyers
  • Home
    • Meet Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Mission & Goals
    • FAQ
  • Webinars
  • News
  • Membership Directory
    • Top 100 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 100 Map – Criminal Defense
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Criminal Defense
  • Top 100
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 100 Presidents Message
    • Diplomat
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 100 Badge
  • Top 40
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Bootcamp
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 40 Presidents Message
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 40 Badge
  • Specialty Assoc
    • About
    • Shop
    • Officers
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
  • Nominate
    • Top 100
    • Top 40
    • Specialty Association
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer of the Year
    • Trial Team of the Year
    • America’s Most Influential Trial Lawyer
    • America’s Most Influential Law Firm
    • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Shop
  • Magazine
    • A-List
  • Education and Networking Agenda
    • Trial Lawyers Summit
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Boot Camp
    • Mass Torts Made Perfect
    • The Lanier Trial Academy Master Class 6.0
    • The Business Of Law
    • Webinars
  • Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame

Merck Settles Nuvaring Blood Clot Litigation $100 Million

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Larry Bodine


legal news for consumers

NuvaRing was linked in a 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration report to a higher risk for blood clots, has been sold in the U.S. since 2001.

A settlement fund of $100 million dollars on behalf of women who were allegedly injured by the birth control product Nuvaring was announced today in New Jersey state and federal court. Attorney Jason T. Brown, the first attorney in the country to commence a battery of these cases against Nuvaring confirmed the settlement was unsealed in open court on Feb. 7.

The settlement may resolve as many as 3,800 cases in federal and state courts in New Jersey and Missouri, Judge Brian Martinotti in Hackensack said at a hearing. More than 200 women sued Merck in New Jersey accusing the drugmaker of selling NuvaRing while knowing it posed a higher risk of heart attack-inducing blood clots than competing products.

Attorney Brown, who handles class actions and mass torts nationwide, indicated that the settlement was fair and just. “This settlement allows an avenue of recovery for women who alleged in their complaints that they endured blood clots such as deep-vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms, strokes and death. There are strict deadlines contained in the settlement and any woman who has counsel should consult with their counsel as soon as possible,” Brown said.

NuvaRing is a hormonal-vaginal contraceptive that combines both estrogen and progestin in a ring to prevent pregnancy. The product, which was linked in a 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration report to a higher risk for blood clots, has been sold in the U.S. since 2001.

Brown took on pharmaceutical giants in 2006 by commencing lawsuits against the makers of NuvaRing. The product passed though the hands of Organon, Schering-Plough and the billion-dollar pharmaceutical company Merck. After eight years of fighting, hundreds of depositions worldwide, trial calls that came and went and relentless litigation from both sides the case settled for $100,000,000.

The settlement website is www.nuvaringofficialsettlement.com. The settlement agreement is extensive and calls for 95% participation rate in a short time frame to become effective. Brown hailed the result as a victory and commended the hard work put in by a multitude of forces to make this a success.

Should the $100 million figure prove to be accurate, Merck would pay a fraction of what at least one company has paid in similar settlements, according to Bloomberg News. German drugmaker Bayer AG last year said it had so far paid nearly $1.6 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits involving accusations that its Yaz and Yazmin birth control pills caused blood clots that led to strokes and heart attacks.

Other attorneys representing the plaintiffs include Roger C. Denton and Kristine K. Kraft of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton in St. Louis and Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik in New York.  Plaintiffs lead counsel for In Re: NuvaRing Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1964, are Paul D. Rheingold of Rheingold & Valet in New York, Steven B. Blau of Blau & Brown in New York, Denton, Kraft and Shkolnik.

The cases are In Re: NuvaRing Litigation, No. 284, N.J. Super., Bergen Co. and In Re: NuvaRing Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1964.

Posted in Blog

Comments are closed.

News Categories

Read about other Top Jury Verdicts

A $230 Million Settlement Is Reached Over a 2015 Southern California Oil Spill

A $230 Million Settlement Is Reached Over a 2015 Southern California Oil Spill

The owner of an oil pipeline that spewed thousands of barrels of crude oil onto Southern California beaches in 2015 has agree[Read More...]
The LeClairRyan-UnitedLex Dispute Reaches a Pending $21 Million Settlement

The LeClairRyan-UnitedLex Dispute Reaches a Pending $21 Million Settlement

After a prolonged mediation process, the LeClairRyan bankruptcy estate looks to have reached a sizable settlement in one of t[Read More...]
The Families of Holyoke Soldiers Home Victims Reach a $56 Million Settlement

The Families of Holyoke Soldiers Home Victims Reach a $56 Million Settlement

Massachusetts has agreed to pay $56 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by the families of veterans who died or [Read More...]
The Wife of a Missouri Pedestrian Killed by a Motorist Wins $10 Million

The Wife of a Missouri Pedestrian Killed by a Motorist Wins $10 Million

A woman who hit and killed a pedestrian in Columbia while she was talking on her phone and speeding has been ordered to pay $[Read More...]
Can You Sue for Emotional Distress?

Can You Sue for Emotional Distress?

Victims of employment accidents, slip and fall accidents, and car accidents can suffer not only physically but also emotiona[Read More...]

#LegalNews

@@TheNTLtop100

Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Attorney information and content provided on this website is provided for the benefit of members of The National Trial Lawyers and as a public service by Legal Associations Management, Inc. The website and all data are the property of Legal Associations Management, Inc. Data, including without limitation attorney information and content, on the site may not be mined, sold, or used commercially for any purpose without the explicit written consent of Legal Associations Management, Inc. This site may not be accessed by any automated program for extracting data for any use. By accessing and using the site you agree that you will not develop, support or use software, devices, scripts, robots, or any other means or processes (including crawlers, browser plug-ins and add-ons, or any other technology) to scrape data or otherwise copy profiles and other data. Unauthorized use or attempted unauthorized use of this system may subject you to both civil and criminal penalties.