A panel of federal judges heard presentations from attorneys for Actos bladder cancer victims as well as from attorneys for Actos’ manufacturer, Takeda International. A Girard Gibbs attorney representing Actos victims, Daniel Girard, argued that the Panel should transfer the federal Actos lawsuits that have been filed throughout the country to a single judge in either Chicago, Illinois or Lafayette, Louisiana.
The Panel found that coordination of cases was appropriate. The Panel created an Actos multi-district litigation (“MDL”) called In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, identified as MDL Case No. 2299, and transferred all the federal cases that have been filed against Actos’ manufacturer so far to Lafayette, Louisiana. The Panel also assigned the Honorable Judge Rebecca F. Doherty, to hear the cases. She is now in charge of all pretrial proceedings.
The coordination is a positive development for Actos victims because it will: (1) allow a single judge to familiarize herself with all of the issues relating to the Actos cases; (2) streamline the handling of the numerous cases; and, (3) reduce the costs for the parties and the judicial system.
More than 100 Actos cases are now before Judge Doherty. The next step will likely be establishing case management procedures – such as organizing working committees and setting schedules and hearing dates – so that the cases run smoothly.
