Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has won the dubious honor of being named the most sued company in New Jersey for 2010. The company defended 63 lawsuits in the state last year, the majority of which were products liability lawsuits based on the harmful side effects of Johnson & Johnson medication. Other companies near the top of the most sued list range from pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, retailers such as Wal-Mart, and large banks and mortgage lenders.
The most sued list was compiled by Law360, a legal news website that tracks lawsuits in New Jersey and several other U.S. states. The organization based the rankings on the active lawsuits in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. To be considered “active”, there had to have been some activity on the case in 2010.
Of Johnson & Johnson’s 63 active lawsuits, the majority were brought based on tendon injuries and other harmful side effects of Levaquin, an antibiotic marketed and sold by the company. Pharmaceutical company Merck wasn’t far behind, with 56 lawsuits that were largely related to osteoporosis drug Fosamax and contraceptive medication NuvaRing. In addition, pharmaceutical companies Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis also made the top ten.
Retail giant Wal-Mart came in third on the list, defending against 42 lawsuits in 2010. The suits brought against the company were largely slip-and-fall premises liability cases, Law360 reported.
Large banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America also made the top ten, likely having much to do with the allegations of improper mortgage and foreclosure practices.
If you have been injured as a result of the negligence of a large corporation, please contact Breslin & Breslin for a free consultation.
Source: The Star-Ledger, “Johnson & Johnson tops list of sued N.J. companies”, Susan Todd, 9 May 2011
