In the last week, our office has filed a number of new zantac personal injury cases. We are also continuing to investigate other potential zantac claims for our Alabama clients. So, I thought it was a good time to provide an update on the zantac injury litigation.
The Judge Continues To Move Zantac Injury Lawsuits Forward
In a recent Pre-Trial Order, the Federal Judge overseeing zantac injury claims addressed the selection of bellwether cases for trial. If you have already filed a claim, this is a good signal the court is pushing the litigation forward.
What is a bellwether case? Why is it important to your zantac injury claim? Zantac injury cases are currently consolidated before a single Federal Court Judge for pre-trial issues such as discovery.
In cases involving hundreds (or even thousands) of similar injury claims across the United States, the Federal Courts will often assign a single judge to handle pre-trial issues. This process, known as Multi-District Litigation (MDL), is beneficial to the preparation and resolution of these cases. Think about the confusion and inefficiency of having different judges across the United States all issuing orders and rulings related to hundreds or thousands of separate zantac cases.
Basically, the assigned MDL judge will handle all pre-trial matters. Once a case is ready for trial, that judge can then transfer the case back to its home court for trial. What does this mean for Alabama injury victims? Zantac lawsuits are currently assigned to Judge Robin Rosenberg in the Southern District of Florida. If you are an Alabama consumer injured by zantac, Judge Rosenberg will handle all the pre-trial issues in your case. Then, if your case is not settled, it will be transferred back to a Federal Court in Alabama (where you live) for trial. You need a lawyer who has experience with MDL proceedings but also has experience preparing cases for trial in Alabama.
Because of the difficulty (or impossibility) of immediately setting every single case for trial, an MDL judge will often select a few initial cases for trial. These initial cases are called bellwether cases. The results of the initial bellwether trials help all the parties understand the likely outcomes. Of course, this helps determine the value of the remaining cases for settlement as well.
I see the most recent Pre-Trial Order discussing the selection of zantac bellwether cases as a big positive. Zantac injury cases are not likely to sit idle for years as MDL cases sometimes do. Instead, the court is pushing them forward. That helps everyone.
Our office has been involved in past MDL injury claims on behalf of injured people in Alabama. We have filed cases in numerous MDLs. And, we have prepared many of these cases for trial.
Do You Still Have Time To File A Zantac Injury Case?
Every state has statutes of limitations which govern the time periods for filing lawsuits. These periods of time differ from state-to-state. If you do not file your case within the proper statute of limitations, it will be barred.
Do you still have time to file a zantac injury case? We have turned down a number of zantac injury cases where the statute of limitations has expired. Each case is unique based on your specific zantac usage and injury. Many Alabama consumers still have time to file their cases. However, we are rapidly approaching the time limit for all remaining potential claims.
We’ve all seen the commercials from nationwide law firms seeking these personal injury cases. I’ve even received robocalls about them. The calls and commercials usually start with some scary voice asking if you’ve been injured by a certain drug or device. Who are you hiring if you talk to one of these nationwide marketing services?
A lawyer from nearby Decatur asked me last week if our office handled zantac injury cases. Yes, we do. We take these cases seriously. Many people call these nationwide marketing lawyers. What do they get? They get a lawyer who simply signs their case and treats them like a number. They are likely getting a lawyer who with no experience preparing cases under Alabama law. That can be devastating for your claim. Other injured consumers decide to call a local lawyer. If you call a local lawyer, make sure the attorney handles these claims and does not simply refer your case to one of these large nationwide firms. Otherwise, you may still end up just a number in a large volume settlement mill firm.
We believe consumers injured from a dangerous drug or defective medical device need legal counsel with experience in two areas. First, you need an attorney with experience navigating a complex Federal Court MDL process for mass torts. We have appeared in MDL proceedings across the United States. Second, you need an attorney with experience preparing these complex cases right here in Alabama. Your doctors are here in Alabama. Your trial judge is here in Alabama. Your jury lives here in Alabama. You need a lawyer with experience preparing complex cases for trial here in Alabama. We take these cases seriously and prepare the medical evidence to help our injured Alabama clients.
If you have questions about zantac injury cases, let us know. We are happy to answer any of your questions. You can also read some of my prior articles discussing zantac and its connection to potential cancers. I personally wrote each of these articles. Here they are:
- Hot Topics — Zantac Cancer Lawsuits
- Zantac Pulled From Shelves Due To Cancer Risks (April 2020)
- Zantac And Cancer: Court Indicates It Will Study Relationship (June 2020)
- When Prescription Medications Cause Cancer (August 2020)
- Four Ways Zantac (Ranitidine) Leads To Cancer (September 2020)
- Zantac — The Chemical NDMA Causes Cancer (October 2020)
At the Blackwell Law Firm, all consultations are free and confidential. We want you to have the information you need to make the best decision for your family.
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From its office in Huntsville, the Blackwell Law Firm handles cases across Alabama involving serious personal injury or wrongful death.
(256) 261-1315
