IVC Filter Lawsuit Plaintiffs Await September 2016 Trials, As Discussions Continue Regarding Rescheduled Settlement Conference Date

TheProductLawyers.com reports on a settlement conference that plaintiffs hope is rescheduled to prevent the need to go to trial for the many lawsuits filed against Cook Medical in regards to the IVC filter devices the company manufacturers. Plaintiffs are anxiously awaiting word of a new settlement conference that will allow them, their attorneys and the defendant to possibly negotiate a settlement to bring resolution to the approximately 250 lawsuits that are pending in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) being overseen by a court in the Southern District of Indiana. The settlement conference would be before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

The settlement conference was to have taken place in March 2016. However, the defendant's attorneys had asked for a postponement to allow for more time to review findings and prepare their client. No word has been given about when a settlement conference will occur. If one is not rescheduled, then trials will proceed sometime in early September 2016.

At the center of the lawsuits are allegations that the IVC filters have been defectively designed and manufactured and once surgically placed in the patient's inferior vena cava vein, they can fracture thus sending the pieces to other parts of the body with some becoming lodged in veins and organs. In some instances, the pieces cannot be surgically removed as they have embedded in areas of the body considered to be "high risk." The pieces then are left in the body and can potentially cause more damage.

The IVC filter is a small cage-like medical device usually used in patients who cannot take traditional blood thinning medications. It captures errant blood clots originating in the legs that travel through the inferior vena cava to the heart and lungs. If the clot reaches the heart and lungs it can cause a pulmonary embolism. The filter catches the clot allowing it to dissipate on its own. The IVC filter is a temporary solution, according to the FDA, and should be removed when the risk of blood clot formation has passed.

For more information, to ask questions, or to schedule a free consultation, contact Banville Law by calling (888) 997-3792.