<b><i>Online Extra</b></i>$2.5M Verdict Awarded in First Phila. Risperdal Trial

A Philadelphia jury on Feb. 24 awarded $2.5 million to the plaintiff in the first of roughly 1,250 Risperdal mass-tort cases in the city's courts.

After roughly a day and a half of deliberations, the 12-member jury in'Pledger v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals'handed down the verdict in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy I. Djerassi's courtroom. The verdict, agreed upon by 11 of the jurors, brought an end to the month-long trial.

The jury found defendant Janssen Pharmaceuticals negligent in having failed to warn of the potential for Risperdal to cause gynecomastia, a condition in which males grow enlarged breasts. The plaintiff in the case, Austin Pledger, took Risperdal to assist with behavioral symptoms related to autism and claimed to have developed gynecomastia from taking the drug.

Kline & Specter co-founder Thomas R. Kline said the verdict set the stage for the rest of the Risperdal cases set to go to trial.

He also remarked that in 37 years of trying drug cases, 'I have never seen a worse case of corporate misconduct than I have seen here.'

That misconduct, Kline said, was exemplified by Janssen's failure to turn over information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about Risperdal's ability to elevate levels of prolactin, the hormone that causes gynecomastia.

As for whether the amount of the verdict met his expectations, Kline said, 'The amount of the verdict speaks to the reaction of the jury, not only to the evidence against Janssen'which was damning ' but to the injury caused to the most vulnerable members of our society.'

In a Janssen statement issued in response to the verdict, a company spokesperson said, 'We are disappointed and will consider all of our options going forward, including appeals. We firmly believe this verdict should be overturned.'

P.J. D'Annunzio writes for The Legal Intelligencer, the Philadelphia-based ALM sibling of Product Liability Law & Strategy.

A Philadelphia jury on Feb. 24 awarded $2.5 million to the plaintiff in the first of roughly 1,250 Risperdal mass-tort cases in the city's courts.

After roughly a day and a half of deliberations, the 12-member jury in'Pledger v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals'handed down the verdict in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy I. Djerassi's courtroom. The verdict, agreed upon by 11 of the jurors, brought an end to the month-long trial.

The jury found defendant Janssen Pharmaceuticals negligent in having failed to warn of the potential for Risperdal to cause gynecomastia, a condition in which males grow enlarged breasts. The plaintiff in the case, Austin Pledger, took Risperdal to assist with behavioral symptoms related to autism and claimed to have developed gynecomastia from taking the drug.

Kline & Specter co-founder Thomas R. Kline said the verdict set the stage for the rest of the Risperdal cases set to go to trial.

He also remarked that in 37 years of trying drug cases, 'I have never seen a worse case of corporate misconduct than I have seen here.'

That misconduct, Kline said, was exemplified by Janssen's failure to turn over information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about Risperdal's ability to elevate levels of prolactin, the hormone that causes gynecomastia.

As for whether the amount of the verdict met his expectations, Kline said, 'The amount of the verdict speaks to the reaction of the jury, not only to the evidence against Janssen'which was damning ' but to the injury caused to the most vulnerable members of our society.'

In a Janssen statement issued in response to the verdict, a company spokesperson said, 'We are disappointed and will consider all of our options going forward, including appeals. We firmly believe this verdict should be overturned.'

P.J. D'Annunzio writes for The Legal Intelligencer, the Philadelphia-based ALM sibling of Product Liability Law & Strategy.