Plaintiffs Awarded Damages In Three Out Of Four Risperdal Lawsuits

LegalHerald.com reports on the outcomes of four Risperdal lawsuits which all similarly allege that use of the antipsychotic caused gynecomastia (male breast growth) in the plaintiffs. Of the four complaints, plaintiffs have won three. The fourth was won by defendant Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson when the Philadelphia jury decided that although the company was negligent in labeling the product there was not sufficient evidence to prove that the drug caused the plaintiff’s gynecomastia

The first case to go to court awarded the plaintiff, who began taking Risperdal in 2002 to treat his mood swings, $2.5 million. According to court documents, he had developed size 46DD breasts and testimony from a J&J biochemist during the trial revealed that the company hid the known risk of a gynecomastia side effect.

One of the more recent lawsuits awarded the plaintiff $500,000 after he used Risperdal beginning at the age of 12, from 2006 to 2009 to treat his Tourette syndrome. He reportedly gained 60 pounds and developed breasts. The plaintiff lost the additional weight yet his gynecomastia condition remained and he was bullied in high school. He underwent breast reduction surgery at the age of 18.

The third trial in which the jury found favor with the plaintiff determined that Johnson & Johnson would be required to pay the plaintiff $1.7 million for mental anguish and disfigurement. The plaintiff, in this case, had used Risperdal beginning at the age of 9 to treat schizophrenia despite the fact that the FDA had not approved the drug for use in children at that time.

The results of these lawsuits give hope to the plaintiffs in over 1,600 cases that await trial, which all commonly allege that Janssen failed to warn consumers of the potential side effects of Risperdal. As these cases await trial, the attorneys of Banville Law are working to ensure that anyone who has taken Risperdal and has suffered from adverse effects that they attribute to their use of the drug will be given the opportunity to evaluate their legal rights. Those individuals may be entitled to significant compensation. The firm is currently offering free legal consultations to qualified parties.

To ask questions or obtain more information on Risperdal lawsuits, please contact Banville Law at (888) 997-3792.