Six federal power morcellator lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation held in its October 15 transfer order that the cases all involved common questions of fact, and that centralization would promote more just and efficient litigation.
Laparoscopic power morcellators are a type of medical instrument used in minimally invasive surgery. The device is inserted into incisions in the abdomen in order to mince up uterine fibroids and sometimes the entire uterus for extraction. However, a recent safety communication from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimated that “1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for the treatment of fibroids . . . have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma.”, and warned that power morcellator operations pose a risk of spreading this cancer to other parts of the body.
Women who have been diagnosed with cancer after surgery with a laparoscopic power morcellator have filed power morcellator lawsuits, in which they claim manufacturers of the devices, such as Ethicon, failed to properly test and monitor the safety of their products. Some power morcellator lawsuits have already been settled, and many more are pending. The new multidistrict litigation is expected to gain momentum as dozens of other power morcellator lawsuits are consolidated.
Speak with your doctor about any risks a medication or surgical procedure may pose. If you or someone close was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a power morcellator procedure, contact the lawyers at Lopez McHugh today to receive a free consultation. You may be entitled to legal compensation.
