Morgan & Morgan’s Michael Goetz, of the firm’s Complex Litigation Group, has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) over the popular anticoagulant Xarelto.
If you or a loved one has experienced a serious bleeding incident while taking Xarelto, our attorneys would like to hear from you. Get in touch with us for a free consultation. You may have legal recourse.
On February 9, 2015, the Honorable Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who is overseeing the MDL for Xarelto, issued an order naming Goetz and 11 other attorneys as members of the PSC.
“I am honored that Judge Fallon appointed me to the Xarelto PSC and I am fully committed to making meaningful contributions to this litigation,” Goetz said.
As a member of the PSC, Goetz will coordinate all pre-trial discovery matters, which include taking depositions, retaining expert witnesses, managing important document requests and collecting all other relevant evidence. Furthermore, Goetz and the other PSC members will develop an overall case strategy for the Xarelto lawsuits and prepare the very first cases for trial, Goetz said.
More than 85 lawsuits are currently pending in the MDL, which was formed in December 2014 when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all federally-filed lawsuits to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
In these lawsuits, the plaintiffs allege that Xarelto is dangerous and defective because it can put patients at risk for serious and life-threatening bleeding. The plaintiffs allege that, unlike warfarin – an older, generic anticoagulant whose effects can be reversed with common treatments like Vitamin K – there is no antidote for Xarelto.
As a result, patients may be at risk for serious and fatal complications, including:
- Hemorrhages
- Blood clots
- Gastrointestinal bleeds
“My hope is that this litigation will create broader awareness in the medical community, the FDA, and the general public about the dangers of Xarelto as the drug is currently being prescribed,” Goetz said.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for medical bills, physical and emotional suffering and, in the event of death, funeral costs. They are also seeking punitive damages, which are meant to punish the defendants and deter other companies from similar behavior.
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