Levaquin Settlements and Jury Verdicts

Only one Levaquin lawsuit has reached court so far, but the jury verdict resulted in a massive win for the plaintiff – 82-year-old John Schedin walked away with over a million dollars in damages, which will help to cover medical costs and loss of quality of life associated with the side effects of the popular antibiotic. Schedin began taking Levaquin in 2005 while trying to treat an upper respiratory infection, and shortly thereafter the once-active senior ruptured both of his Achilles tendons. Schedin, who formerly plated golf several times a month and kept active, experienced impairment of his mobility so severe he was left unable to climb stairs.

In December of 2010, a Minnesota jury awarded Schedin 1.8 million dollars, a verdict which Johnson & Johnson, drugmaker of Levaquin, has said they intend to appeal. This could be a risky move for the company, because if the appeal is denied, the drugmaker stands to pay out an even greater sum.
More than 13.5 million Levaquin prescriptions were distributed in 2007, the year before the “black box” warning was implemented. This warning was ordered by the Food and Drug Administration in order to advise patients about the serious risk for side effects like tendonitis and tendon rupture. Millions of prescriptions for the antibiotic have been written since.

There are currently over 2,600 Levaquin lawsuits that have been filed nationwide, largely in Minnesota, New Jersey, and California courts. This number is likely to grow based on media coverage of the case as well as the success of John Schedin’s case.

It is possible that Johnson & Johnson has already reached confidential out-of-court settlements with any number of plaintiffs, and the prospect of out-of-court Levaquin settlements will likely increase if juries continue to rule in favor of plaintiffs. These settlements, like jury verdicts, could easily reach the millions of dollars.