Goldman Ismail Secures Complete Defense Jury Verdict in AndroGel Bellwether Trial

On June 14, 2018, a jury in the Northern District of Illinois returned a defense verdict in the fifth MDL bellwether product liability trial over AndroGel, a testosterone replacement gel used for the treatment of hypogonadism. The verdict represented a complete victory for Goldman Ismail’s client, AbbVie, Inc.  The plaintiff, Robert Rowley, alleged that he developed a type of blood clot called deep vein thrombosis after using AndroGel. At trial, Plaintiff argued that the AndroGel label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of blood clots associated with AndroGel. As described in Law360, “[a]fter a few hours of deliberation, the jury rejected plaintiff Robert Rowley’s claims that AndroGel was to blame for a clot he suffered in 2013 and that the company failed to adequately warn about the risk.” The judgment represented the third complete defense verdict for AbbVie in the federal bellwether trials.  The AbbVie trial team was led by Goldman Ismail partners Tarek Ismail, Shayna Cook, and Andrew Rima. Also representing AbbVie at the trial were Goldman Ismail’s Joe Tomaselli, Michael Casner, and Ed Dumoulin. The case is Rowley et al. v. AbbVie, Inc. et al., No. 1:15-cv-02760 (N.D. Ill.).  Press coverage of the trial victory is available here and here.