Risperdal Lawsuit Plaintiff Awarded $1 Million In First Gynecomastia Trial Convened Outside of Pennsylvania, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A Troy, New York man has been awarded $1 million, after a federal jury found that his use of Risperdal had resulted in gynecomastia, a disfiguring condition marked by the development of female-like breasts in men and boys.

According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 24-year-old Shaquil Byrd began to experience excessive breast growth within months of initiating treatment with Risperdal at the age of 9. His complaint accused Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary of failing to provide doctors and patients with adequate warnings regarding this potential side effect.

On September 27th, the jury hearing Byrd's case found that he had proven his failure-to-warn claim and awarded him $500,000 for past and/or present pain and suffering, as well as an additional $500,000 for future pain and suffering.  (Case No. 1:14-cv-00820)

"We are pleased that yet another gynecomastia plaintiff has prevailed in a Risperdal lawsuit. Our Firm is representing a number of other young men who also claim the medication caused their excessive breast development. We will continue to monitor this litigation for any developments that could impact our clients' cases," said Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm continues to provide free legal reviews to men and boys who were diagnosed with gynecomastia allegedly related to their use of Risperdal.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Litigation

Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic medication indicated for use in adult and adolescent patients with schizophrenia, adults and children ages 10-to-17 with bipolar disorder, and children (5-to-16 years of age) with autistic disorder. The drug was initially brought to market in 1993. However, its first pediatric indications were not approved by the FDA until October 2006.

The Risperdal label was also updated in October 2006 to state that 2.3% of male adolescents treated with the drug had developed gynecomastia. Previously, the label had characterized the condition as a rare side effect that had been seen in fewer than 1 in 1,000 patients.

Shaquil Byrd's lawsuit was the first Risperdal gynecomastia case tried outside of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, where more than 6,000 cases have been centralized in a mass tort program. The Pennsylvania litigation has been trying gynecomastia cases since February 2015, with four juries awarding plaintiffs damages ranging from $500,000 to $70 million. The defendants have also prevailed in several cases, while a number of Risperdal lawsuits have settled out of court just prior to trial.  (Case No. 130600861)

Bernstein Liebhard LLP continues to provide free legal reviews to alleged victims of Risperdal and gynecomastia. To learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit, please contact Bernstein Liebhard LLP by visiting the Firm's website, or by calling 800-511-5092.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is honored to once again be named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List," recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country. This year's nomination marks the thirteenth year the firm has been named to this prestigious annual list.

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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2017 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information: 
Sandy A. Liebhard, Esq. 
Bernstein Liebhard LLP 
info (at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/  
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