| HIS BUTTON END --> | | | | determined that centralizing the Levaquin Tendon |
| The Levaquin Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) is being | | | | Rupture cases was appropriate. Based on a |
| handled in the United States District Court | | | | number of factors, the Judicial Panel determined |
| — District of Minnesota. The first initial | | | | that the District of Minnesota was an appropriate |
| informal status conference was held on August 6, | | | | forum. All Levaquin Tendon Rupture federal cases |
| 2008. | | | | have been ordered transferred to the District of |
| The MDL consists of cases involving the drug | | | | Minnesota. |
| Levaquin. Levaquin is an antibiotic used to treat a | | | | What is multidistrict litigation? |
| variety of bacterial infections, including upper | | | | Multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal |
| respiratory infections and skin infections. Plaintiffs | | | | procedure in which all pending civil cases of a |
| that have been prescribed Levaquin are alleging | | | | similar type with common questions of fact that |
| that it causes tendons to rupture and that the | | | | have been filed throughout the United States are |
| defendants’ warnings about this alleged | | | | transferred to one federal judge for pre-trial |
| side effect were inadequate. | | | | proceedings. The purpose of this procedure is to |
| Defendants Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil | | | | speed up the process of handling complex cases |
| Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Johnson & Johnson | | | | in the federal court system, such as product |
| Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC | | | | liability suits or patent infringement cases. By |
| allegedly developed, manufacture and market | | | | centralizing the pre-trial process, the resources of |
| Levaquin. The Defendants are denying that | | | | the parties, counsel and judiciary are conserved |
| Levaquin is defective or unreasonably dangerous. | | | | and duplicative discovery and inconsistent pretrial |
| Defendants are also denying that they failed to | | | | rulings can be avoided. This process is governed |
| provide adequate warnings. | | | | by 28 U.S.C. ยง 1407 of the United States Code. |
| The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation | | | | |