JOHNSON et al v. SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION et al

  1. May 07, 2015

    Grunenthal, Sanofi Must Wait For Thalidomide Suit To Play Out

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has denied Grunenthal GmbH and Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC's bid for a final judgment in a thalidomide birth defect injury suit by a plaintiff whose claims he shot down last year as time-barred, saying that he would not shut the case until he learns whether that plaintiff and others were later forced to drop their claims in the litigation. 

  2. April 01, 2015

    Final Hagens Berman Thalidomide Claim Too Late, Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Wednesday that claims brought by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP's sole remaining client in a proposed class action accusing Sanofi-Aventis SA and Grunenthal GmbH of causing birth defects were filed too late, after the judge previously sanctioned the firm over obviously time-barred claims.

  3. March 12, 2015

    Hagens Berman Faces Probe Of Thalidomide Client Dismissal

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday ordered an investigation into whether Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP attorneys dropped a client from a class action over birth defects caused by thalidomide without her consent, after the firm was sanctioned for bringing time-barred claims against Sanofi-Aventis SA and other drugmakers.

  4. March 09, 2015

    Hagens Berman Sanctioned For Bad Thalidomide Suits

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday slapped Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP with sanctions for its "bad faith and dishonesty" in litigating three time-barred suits against drugmakers Sanofi-Aventis SA and Grunenthal GmbH over birth defects stemming from thalidomide, saying the firm's actions were intentional.

  5. February 20, 2015

    Hagens Berman Faces Call For Sanctions In Thalidomide Suit

    Drugmakers Sanofi-Aventis SA and Grunenthal GmbH asked a Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday to sanction Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and dismiss its client's suit claiming that thalidomide caused her birth defects, saying that the firm should have easily realized that the suit was time-barred.

  6. January 28, 2015

    Hagens Berman Didn't Verify Thalidomide Claim, Court Told

    GlaxoSmithKline LLC and other defendants asked a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday to dismiss a man's suit claiming that thalidomide caused his birth defects and asked for sanctions against his counsel, saying that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP never checked whether his mother had taken the morning-sickness drug.

  7. December 05, 2014

    Hagens Berman May Face Sanctions In Pa. Thalidomide Cases

    A special master recommended Thursday that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP face sanctions for continuing to pursue three lawsuits against defendants including GlaxoSmithKline LLC over birth defects allegedly caused by the morning-sickness drug thalidomide despite grave concerns over the viability of the plaintiffs' claims.

  8. October 16, 2014

    GSK Dodges Claims Over Thalidomide Birth Defects

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday dismissed a suit by a man who claimed that his birth defects were caused by his mother's treatment with GlaxoSmithKline LLC's morning-sickness drug thalidomide, finding that his suit is barred by the state's two-year statute of limitations on personal injury suits.