When Richard Johnson began taking the popular and controversial antibiotic medication Levaquin in 2007, little did he know that he would eventually end up suing the manufacturers of the pills over their serious adverse side effects. But that is exactly what he did when he filed his Levaquin lawsuit on August 6, 2012. His lawsuit will join the MDL in the District Court, District of Minnesota.
Johnson’s Levaquin lawsuit claims that it was his use of the antibiotic that caused him to suffer from a rotator cuff tear. Johnson was 46 years old when he started taking Levaquin, which has been proven to increase the dangers of patients suffering from tendon damage and rotator cuff tears — particularly in patients older than 65 and those taking corticosteroids. He didn’t receive his diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear until 2009. Since his diagnosis, he is claiming that his injuries have caused him complications such as “permanent instability and loss of balance, immobility and pain and suffering.”
Johnson’s complaint throws similar accusations against the makers of Levaquin — Johnson & Johnson — as many others in the MDL. The drug giant has been accused of failing to properly warn patients and healthcare professionals of the dangers linked to Levaquin. A positive step in Levaquin litigation was recently announced when the fourth Levaquin bellwether trial start date was set for October. Judge Tunheim will be presiding over the litigation.
At least one lawsuit thus far has resulted in a favorable result when it was decided that plaintiff John Schedin would be awarded $1.8 million for his tendon ruptures. This verdict was upheld on appeal. After the first plaintiffs’ verdict the next three cases were lost and there have been unconfirmed rumors that some cases have settled for between $12,000 to $22,000 a case.
