ALTON, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest law firms focused on consumer protection and mass tort actions, is pleased to announce that an Illinois federal jury has awarded more than $140 million in a verdict against AbbVie Inc. over claims that it misrepresented the dangerous cardiovascular risks of its testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) drug, AndroGel.
In the second bellwether trial in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) over testosterone gel products, the jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois awarded plaintiff Jeffrey Konrad $140 million in punitive damages and $140,000 in compensatory damages. Konrad had sued North Chicago, Ill.-based AbbVie in 2015 following a heart attack he suffered in 2010 while using AndroGel.
“This is another important victory for consumers against the makers of testosterone gel products over their fraudulent marketing of the drugs,” said Simmons Hanly Conroy Shareholder Trent B. Miracle, who serves as co-lead for the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee for the TRT MDL. “AbbVie and other pharmaceutical companies must be held responsible for the injuries their drugs cause especially when their products are marketed as treatments for men to help them maintain their quality of life.”
The jury ruled for Konrad on his claims of negligence, intentional misrepresentation and misrepresentation against AbbVie concerning the company’s fraudulent marketing of AndroGel by making up a medical condition called “Low T,” and marketing the product directly to men experiencing normal symptoms of aging such as low libido, weight gain and mood swings.
The case is Konrad v. AbbVie Inc., case number 1:15-cv-00966, which is part of the MDL In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, case number 1:14-cv-01748. The MDL includes about 6,000 similar cases involving testosterone gel products manufactured by AbbVie and other drug companies.
The MDL’s first bellwether trial resulted in another Illinois federal jury awarding $150 million in July to plaintiff Jesse Mitchell against AbbVie for misrepresenting the risks of AndroGel.
