3M Bair Hugger Lawsuit Defendants Oppose Motion for Multidistrict Litigation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

September 18, 2015 - The 3M Company and its Arizant Healthcare, Inc. subsidiary have voiced opposition to a proposal to centralize all federally-filed 3M Bair Hugger lawsuits (http://www.3mbairhuggerlawsuit.com/) in a single U.S. District Court for the purposes of coordinated pretrial proceedings. In a Joint Response filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) on September 14th, the companies argue that the pending complaints have no basis in science, and contain too many individual factors to warrant the establishment of a federal multidistrict litigation. (In Re: Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2666)

"Our Firm has heard from a number of hip and knee implant patients who claim to have sustained serious post-operative infections because of the 3M Bair Hugger forced air warming blanket. We are monitoring this litigation closely, and look forward to the JPML's decision i n this matter," says Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is evaluating Bair Hugger lawsuits on behalf of individuals who developed post-operative joint infections that may be related to the use of this forced air warming system.

3M Bair Hugger Litigation
Court documents indicate that at least 14 hip and knee replacement infection lawsuits have been filed in federal courts on behalf of patients who allegedly developed serious post-op infections following use of the 3M Bair Hugger in joint replacement surgery. Plaintiffs charge that the apparatus, which is used to help surgical patients maintain an optimal body temperature during procedures, suffers from a design defect that allows pathogens from the operating room floor to enter the surgical site. Plaintiffs further allege that 3M and Arizant concealed this risk and failed to conduct adequate and sufficient post-marketing surveillance of the device.

Bair Hugger lawsuits note that the forced air warming blanket is the standard in hospitals around the world, and has been used on more than 165 million patients. According to a Motion for Transfer filed with the JPML on August 21st, the litigation surrounding the device is likely to grow. The Motion further asserts that centralization of all federally-filed claims in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota will reduce duplicative discovery, avoid conflicting pretrial rulings, and serve the convenience of the parties, witnesses and the courts.

Joint replacement patients who may have developed a serious infection following surgery with this device could be eligible to file their own Bair Hugger lawsuit. To learn more about this growing litigation, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or call the Firm directly at 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 of 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. The Firm was named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list for a dozen consecutive years.

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Contact Information:
Sandy A. Liebhard, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.3mbairhuggerlawsuit.com/
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