Law360 interviewed Blackwell Burke P.A. partner Peter J. Goss for an article about the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation’s (JDML) upcoming hearing on whether to centralize over 100 cases filed against the New England Compounding Center (NECC). These lawsuits arise from the NECC’s distribution of allegedly tainted steroids that resulted in meningitis. The decision whether and where to centralize the steroid injury cases is complicated by the NECC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Massachusetts at the end of 2012. Both Massachusetts (where NECC is located) and Minnesota (where the first cases were filed) have been proposed as consolidation venues.
Mr. Goss discussed the possibility of a global settlement for the injury claims in these cases if the cases were centralized. He explained that individual factors (such as age and earning capacity) make it difficult for the judge to treat the plaintiffs as “one block.” The full article is available to Law360 subscribers here.
Mr. Goss focuses his national practice on pharmaceutical and medical device product liability litigation and toxic torts. He has represented major pharmaceutical, medical technology, and chemical firms in hundreds of cases. Mr. Goss, who has won several published Daubert decisions, often serves as “science counsel” in life sciences litigation. He collaborates with leading experts to present complex medical and scientific evidence, both in dispositive motions and at trial. He is a frequent commentator on scientific evidence and legal developments of interest to FDA-regulated industries.
Blackwell Burke P.A., a litigation and trial boutique in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves as national trial and litigation counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies. The firm has extensive experience in class action defense, commercial litigation, food industry defense, labor and employment, and products liability. The firm has represented corporate clients in practically every jurisdiction in the country, as well as several foreign countries.
For more information about Blackwell Burke P.A. or Mr. Goss, please contact Kandy Branch at 612-343-3235.