Ashley Milano  |  November 26, 2015

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

drug litigationThe newly consolidated litigation over power morcellator injuries is moving forward, with an initial scheduling conference held on  November 18.

The multidistrict litigation pulls together power morcellator lawsuits filed on behalf of women who have allegedly developed aggressive uterine cancers after undergoing procedures using a power morcellator manufactured by Ethicon Inc.

Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson, is facing more than two dozen power morcellator lawsuits alleging the surgical tool can spread and upstage undetected uterine cancer cells when used to perform minimally-invasive hysterectomies and uterine fibroid removal surgery.

Consolidation of the federal docket in the U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, is intended to promote judicial efficiency by allowing all pending and future lawsuits involving similar allegations to undergo coordinated pretrial proceedings, including discovery and motions practice.

According to the Court’s October 16 Order, this month’s Status Conference addressed all matters relating to pretrial and discovery proceedings. The parties were directed to submit any proposed case management orders or agenda items to the Court by November 10.

The Court has also requested that the parties submit a brief written statement on or before that date indicating their preliminary understanding of the facts involved in the Ethicon morcellator litigation, as well as the critical factual and legal issues.

FDA Issues Safety Alerts Regarding Power Morcellators

Laparascopic power morcellators are employed in non-invasive surgery to remove masses in the uterus. The device is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen and used to cut up tissue for easy extraction. Many women have chosen to have a power morcellator procedure because of the minimal scarring it causes.

However, recent findings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other organizations show that power morcellators pose a risk of spreading unsuspected cancer throughout the body.  Since April 2014, the FDA has issued two public health alerts regarding the potential for power morcellators to disseminate undetected uterine cancer cells into the peritoneal cavity.

According to the agency, this occurrence greatly reduced a woman’s chances of long-term survival. The FDA now warns against the use of uterine morcellation in the majority of women who require hysterectomies or myomectomies, stating that, “1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for the treatment of fibroids . . . have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma.” As a result, doctors may be spreading cancer in hundreds of female patients every year.

Ethicon Power Morcellator Multidistrict Litigation

Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and the leading manufacturer of power morcellators, is facing increasing scrutiny for its device. Ethicon has decided it will no longer manufacture the devices, but is still facing a number of lawsuits.

Power morcellator lawsuits filed in federal courts across the U.S. have been centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kanas.  The number of power morcellator lawsuits included in the MDL is expected to increase over the coming months

If you or woman you care about were diagnosed with advanced uterine cancer following a power morcellation surgery, contact an attorney to determine whether you may be eligible to file a morcellator lawsuit.

The Ethicon Power Morcellation MDL is In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2652, in the U.S. District Court, District of Kansas.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The morcellation cancer attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, morcellator cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Join a Free Morcellation Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were diagnosed with cancer in the uterus, pelvis or abdomen within two years of undergoing surgery for a myomectomy (removal of fibroids), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), or salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes), you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.