Medtronic slips 'death penalty' sanctions in pain pump death suit
May 27, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Medtronic won’t face some of the so-called "death penalty" sanctions imposed by a Texas state court after an appeals court there reversed a portion of the lower court’s ruling.
A Texas state appeals court overturned some of sanctions in the wrongful death lawsuit, filed after a morphine pain pump patient died following back surgery. Read more
Johnson & Johnson commits to $2.5B DePuy ASR settlement deal
May 27, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics last week committed to the deal it struck last year to settle thousands of product liability lawsuits filed over its recalled metal-on-metal DePuy ASR hip implant.
DePuy Orthopaedics told the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, which is overseeing a multi-district litigation over the DePuy ASR device, that it’s waiving the walk-away rights allowed for in the settlement if too few DePuy ASR plaintiffs signed on. Although patients are still enrolling in the settlement program, “most eligible patients have opted into the program,” according to court documents. Read more
Solicitor General objects to Medtronic's high court bid | MassDevice.com On Call
May 27, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Medtech titan Medtronic is treading a tough road in seeking Supreme Court review in a lawsuit accusing the company of liability for injuries a patient says were caused by the company’s implantable pain pumps.
The U.S. Solicitor General this month recommended that the Supreme Court refuse Medtronic’s petition for review, saying that a lower court had made the right call when ruling that the lawsuit is not preempted under existing federal law, Law360.com reported. Read more
Ex-engineer confesses to stealing trade secrets from BD, Bard
May 29, 2014 by Brad Perriello
An engineer who worked for C.R. Bard and Becton Dickinson & Co. admitted yesterday to stealing trade secrets from the companies.
Ketankumar “Ketan” Maniar pleaded guilty before Judge Joel Pisano of the U.S. District Court for New Jersey to 2 counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets “for his own economic benefit,” according to federal prosecutors. Read more
Medtronic settles kickbacks case for $10M
May 29, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Medtronic agreed to pay $9.9 million, but admitted no wrongdoing, to settle a whistleblower’s lawsuit alleging that it ran a years-long kickbacks scheme to induce physicians to use its cardiac rhythm management devices.
The lawsuit, filed by former Medtronic business development manager Adolfo Schroeder, alleged that the Fridley, Minn.-based medical device company paid doctors to speak at conferences, created free marketing and business plans and gave them free tickets to sporting events, restaurants and even strip clubs. Read more