An Arizona jury has found defendant C.R. Bard, Inc. liable for negligent failure to warn about claims related to its IVC filter. The plaintiff, Sherri Booker, was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages following the trial in Arizona federal court.
IVC Filters are small spider-like devices that are implanted in the inferior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood from the lower body to the heart. IVC Filters are designed to prevent blood clots from traveling from the legs to the lungs, heart or brain. IVC Filters were designed for short-term placement with the intent that they be removed after the risk of clotting has passed.
The IVC Filter MDL, which includes more than 3,600 plaintiffs in federal court in Arizona, involves claims that certain parts of the IVC Filters can break off and be released into the blood stream or the filter itself, and that it moves after implantation, making it difficult or even impossible to remove. The next bellwether trial is scheduled to begin within the next few weeks.
The Firm is not accepting new IVC filter cases at this time.
