NuvaRing Trial Dates Scheduled in Early 2013

Austin Kirk

By Austin Kirk
Posted September 19, 2012

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More than four years after the first NuvaRing lawsuits were filed by women who suffered a pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, stroke or other blood clot injury, the first trial dates are finally approaching, with cases set to reach a jury throughout the first half of 2013.

Please note that the lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are no longer taking on new cases involving NuvaRing. The content on this page is provided for informational purposes only.

Most of the NuvaRing litigation is centralized in either New Jersey state court, where about 180 cases are currently pending, or in the federal court system, where more than 900 cases have been consolidated as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the Eastern District of Missouri.

Out of these cases, small groups of cases are currently being prepared for early trial dates, known as NuvaRing “bellwether” trials because the outcomes often help the parties determine how juries are likely to respond to evidence and testimony that will likely be similar to what is presented in a large number of cases.

In New Jersey state court, the judge presiding over the “mass tort” proceedings has indicated that the first cases will be prepared for trial to begin by February 2013. In the federal NuvaRing MDL, the first bellwether trial has been scheduled to start on May 6, 2013, and it will be followed by at least two other cases.

Although there is no indication that any progress in NuvaRing settlement negotiations is imminent, during the lead up to these early trial dates, pressure may increase on the drug maker to start discussing resolutions in individual cases.

As we recently saw in the similar lawsuits over Yaz and Yasmin birth control, Bayer only began seriously engaging in settlement talks as the first trial dates were about to begin. In that litigation, the first Yaz settlement was announced on the eve of the first scheduled trial date and the drug maker has continued to negotiate individual offers on a case-by-case basis over the past nine months, as the previously scheduled Yaz “bellwether” trials have been put on hold.

However, with Merck involved in the NuvaRing litigation, as the parent company for Organon, which developed NuvaRing, our lawyers fully expect that the drug maker will allow some cases to reach a jury. In the Vioxx litigation and other complex product liability lawsuits involving products manufactured and marketed by Merck, the drug maker has developed a reputation for allowing a series of trials to be presented to juries before coming to the table to discuss settlement values in cases.

Given the mounting evidence that the makers of NuvaRing knew or should have known about the risk of blood clots and failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers or the medical community, our lawyers look forward to these approaching NuvaRing trial dates, allowing Plaintiffs to present their case in open court.

As the first trial dates approach, our NuvaRing lawyers are continuing to review potential lawsuits for women throughout the United States who have experienced:

  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Stroke
  • Heart Attack
  • Blood Clots
  • Sudden Death

NuvaRing cases are no longer being accepted.

1 Comment • Add Your Comments

  • Natalee says:

    I have to say I was on birth control since I was 14yrs old. After getting married in 2006 I got pregnant in 2007 and found out during my pregnancy I have Factor V I had to go on Lovenox in my 5th month I had to give myself shots in my stomach of this drug in which I was very nervous. I don’t really mind it now that I can no longer take birth control. I feel that they should test girls before putting them on birth control might save some girls from getting sick

    Posted on July 2, 2013 at 11:39 pm

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