Hundreds of GranuFlo lawsuits have been filed by plaintiffs who allege that the kidney dialysis chemical caused injuries, including fatal cardiac events following routine dialysis treatments. According to court documents, cases consolidated into the multidistrict GranuFlo litigation currently underway in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts are about to be chosen for upcoming bellwether trials.
If you or a loved one received GranuFlo during a dialysis treatment and later suffered from complications that you believe could be due to the treatment, you may be eligible to join the growing GranuFlo litigation and seek compensation for your injuries. Contact Attorney Group to determine whether you have a valid claim.
Cases Submitted for Consideration in GranuFlo Litigation
A status conference was held on March 28, 2014 so that each party could compile a list of 10 representative cases to be submitted for consideration as potential bellwether trials. Once each of these cases has been evaluated, the number will be further reduced to 10 lawsuits, at which time the final bellwether cases will be chosen. The specific cases, along with potential trial dates, will be released shortly.
Bellwether trials are an essential part of the legal process when it comes to mass tort litigation, as they can help both parties predict how they believe juries will consider evidence in lawsuits involving similar claims. In some cases, one party may see that a jury tends to side one way or the other and may decide to settle the remaining claims outside of the court.
In addition choosing cases for bellwether trials in the GranuFlo litigation, it is expected that the Court will also determine whether to extend the two-year statute of limitations pertaining to new GranuFlo lawsuits as, according to some state laws, the statute expired on the two-year anniversary of the recall, March 29, 2014.
What is GranuFlo?
Plaintiffs began to file lawsuits shortly after the recall of the dialysis chemical on March 29, 2012. The manufacturer of GranuFlo, Fresenius Medical Care, was allegedly aware that its product caused nearly 900 deaths of dialysis patients who suffered cardiac events shortly after undergoing routine dialysis treatments.
The chemical was intended to balance the amount of bicarbonate in the patient’s blood but instead allegedly caused metabolic alkalosis, a metabolic reaction known to cause strokes and heart attacks in some individuals. Many of the lawsuits in the GranuFlo litigation have been filed by family members of patients who died shortly after they received GranuFlo, and the lawsuits allege it is due to GranuFlo.
Additionally, plaintiffs in the GranuFlo litigation allege that Fresenius Medical Care failed to warn patients and physicians about the potential dangers of receiving GranuFlo during dialysis treatments. An article in the New York Times reported on an alleged internal company memo that acknowledged an increase in patient deaths, caused by incorrect dosages of the chemical. Plaintiffs also claim that Fresenius only warned its own network of dialysis clinics once they became aware of the risks and failed to release this information to other facilities across the country.
Although the company did not publicly disclose this knowledge, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received word and required the manufacturer to recall the product and give instructions to its large network of dialysis clinics to stop administering it to their patients.
Injured? Contact Attorney Group Today
Whether you or someone you love received GranuFlo and suffered from adverse side effects or you have questions about the GranuFlo litigation, consider seeking legal counsel as soon as possible. Attorney Group can review your case, free of charge, and connect you with an affiliated attorney. You may be entitled to seek compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.
