Le Lézard
Subject: LAW

Seeger Weiss LLP Reports: Jury Awards over $140 Million in Compensatory and Punitive Damages to Man Injured by AbbVie Drug AndroGel


CHICAGO, Oct. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This afternoon, a federal jury in Chicago awarded more than $140 million to Jeffrey Konrad, a Tennessee man who suffered a heart attack following his use of AndroGel, a testosterone replacement therapy drug manufactured by AbbVie Inc.

Seeger Weiss, LLP www.seegerweiss.com (PRNewsfoto/Seeger Weiss LLP)

The jury found that pharmaceutical giant AbbVie committed fraud in its marketing and promotion of the drug to Mr. Konrad, and men like him, awarding $140 million in punitive damages and $140,000 in compensatory damages. Seeger Weiss partner Dave Buchanan, lead trial counsel in the case, stated, "AbbVie's insidious and widespread marketing campaign penetrated so deeply that patients like Mr. Konrad sought AndroGel for treatment of symptoms and conditions that the drug had never been proven safe or effective to treat. At the same time, serious safety concerns were suppressed and ignored to facilitate AbbVie's ever-escalating sales targets. Today, the jury sent a loud message to AbbVie. Drugs aren't commodities, and neither are patients. Patients have the right to full information in making decisions about the drugs they consider using."

The verdict is the latest bellwether case to go to trial in In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation (no. 1:14-cv-01748), a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) of thousands of plaintiffs against AbbVie over AndroGel and other testosterone gel products. The cases are centralized before Judge Matthew Kennelly in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. It comes on the heels of a similar verdict on July 24, in which Oregon plaintiff Jesse Mitchell was awarded $150 million in punitive damages following a heart attack. Mr. Konrad filed his lawsuit in 2015, having suffered the heart attack in 2010.

"We are pleased with the jury's decision today to deliver justice for Mr. Konrad. Like so many others, Mr. Konrad suffered a heart attack as a result of AbbVie's fraudulent conduct. The consequences of those acts are serious and real?facts that weren't lost on this jury. We hope today's verdict sends a clear message to AbbVie and to others who may engage in similar practices," said Chris Seeger, co-lead counsel in the MDL.

Mr. Konrad was represented by David Buchanan of Seeger Weiss, lead trial counsel, Troy Rafferty of the Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A. firm, Bill Robins of the law firm of Robins Cloud, and Matt Teague of the Beasley Allen firm. The case is Konrad v. AbbVie Inc., case number 1:15-cv-00966, and the MDL is In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, case number 1:14-cv-01748, both in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Seeger Weiss trial team also included Asa Danes, Erica Kubly, Parvin Aminolroaya and David Tawil.

About Seeger Weiss LLP

Based in New York with offices in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Seeger Weiss is one of the preeminent trial law firms in the nation, known for its high-stakes, landmark verdicts and settlements in multidistrict mass tort and class action litigation. Since its establishment in 1999, the firm has led some of the most complex and high-profile litigations in the U.S. in both state and federal courts, often in a leadership capacity.

Contact:

David R. Buchanan

Partner

212-584-0700

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Roy Schwartz

Director of Communications

212-584-0772

[email protected]

For more information, visit www.seegerweiss.com

SOURCE Seeger Weiss LLP



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