Yasmin / Yaz Class Action Lawsuit-Like Consolidation Sought
As is common in complex pharmaceutical claims, where a large number of people file lawsuits against a drug maker with similar allegations that an injury was caused by a side effect of a particular drug, plaintiffs are seeking to consolidate all Yasmin and Yaz birth control lawsuits in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation, where the individual cases would be assigned to one judge and handled in a manner similar to how a Yasmin / Yaz class action lawsuit would be managed during pretrial litigation.
The Yaz / Yasmin lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential lawsuits involving serious and life-threatening injuries caused by these popular birth control pills, and support the formation of an MDL, as it will benefit the women who have experienced Yasmin / Yaz problems.
The motion was filed Friday with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation asking that an MDL be formed for the Yasmin / Yaz litigation, and that all of the cases filed in different federal district courts throughout the United States be transferred to the Northern District of Ohio for coordinated handling.
The Judicial Panel will schedule a hearing to consider whether the cases all involve sufficiently common questions of law and fact, and whether the transfer and coordination will serve the best interests of the parties, the witnesses and the court. If consolidation is ordered, the court will then determine which district would be the most appropriate to oversee the pretrial litigation.
It is expected that consolidation will be ordered, as Yaz and Yasmin are essentially the same drug, both containing a combination of ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone. Yasmin was first developed in 2001 by Berlex Laboratories, which was later acquired by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Yaz was introduced in 2006 by Bayer with a slightly lower amount of ethinyl estradoil.
The drugs are the only oral birth control pills in the United States that contain the progestin drospirenone, which the lawsuits allege increases the risk of side effects like:
- Heart Attack
- Stroke
- Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Gallbladder Disease
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
- Sudden Death
Consolidation will allow plaintiffs to pool their resources during pretrial litigation, eliminating duplicative discovery in hundreds or thousands of different cases and avoid inconsistent rulings by judges in different districts throughout the United States.
While most consumers consider MDL consolidation the same as a Yaz / Yasmin class action lawsuit, the cases are not permanently combined and do remain individual claims. Unlike a class action, each plaintiff’s damages are unique and it still must be established that their injuries were caused by side effects of the drug. Although the first trials, commonly referred to as “bellwether” cases, are often tried during pretrial litigation, if the other cases do not settle or otherwise resolve, they will returned back to the federal district where they were filed for individual trials.
YAZ AND YASMIN ATTORNEYS
Potential claims are being reviewed throughout the country for women who have suffered heart and other health problems from Yaz or Yasmin. All cases are pursued on a contingency fee basis, which means that there will be no fees or expenses until a recovery is obtained, and nothing is owed if compensation is not secured.
To review a potential claim with our Yaz and Yasmin attorneys for yourself, a friend or family member, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.
