Lawsuits filed throughout the U.S. in District Courts that claim C.R. Bard’s port devices caused complications have been approved by federal judges with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) for consolidation in Arizona.
The August 8 order by the JPML transferred all federal Bard Port lawsuits to the U.S. District for the District of Arizona.
“We select the District of Arizona as the transferee district for this nationwide litigation. Defendants represent that Bard Access Systems has a significant business presence in this district and that relevant witnesses will be located there,” stated the August 8 transfer order by the JPML.
The Bard Port MDL will be overseen by Judge David Campbell, who previously oversaw the MDL of 8,000 lawsuits concerning C.R. Bard’s defective inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, according to ConsumerSafety.org.
“The Honorable David G. Campbell preside[d] over MDL No. 2641 – In re Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation, involving a different medical device manufactured by Bard. He has ably handled that litigation, and we are confident that he will steer this litigation on a prudent course,” the transfer order stated.
The Bard PowerPort is a subcutaneous, implantable port catheter system that delivers certain types of medications, such as chemotherapy drugs. The C.R. Bard port lawsuits center on the catheter component of the port. Plaintiffs allege that the concentration of barium sulfate in the catheter is too high, which reduces the material integrity of the catheter and can lead to injuries, including infection, fracture of the catheter, migration of the catheter, and thrombosis, according to the transfer order.
Bard ports are inserted into a patient via a needle injection and a polyurethane catheter tube that transports the drug into the blood vessels. The high barium sulfate concentration, plaintiffs allege, may cause the Bard Ports to stop working or worse, fracture.
When the Bard Port MDL was being considered for consolation by the JPML in May, fewer than a dozen cases were pending in U.S. District Courts. By the time the transfer order was issued, the number of claims had increased to at least 50, covering 28 federal jurisdictions. Legal experts predict hundreds – if not thousands – more cases will be added to the Bard Port MDL.
If you have been harmed by a Bard PowerPort or other port system, contact MedTruth for a free case evaluation. All of the firms we work with are based on contingency, and you’ll pay no fees unless a settlement is reached on your behalf.