1-800-404-9281 Call Us Anytime 24/7
Van Robichaux
Trial Attorney
Renee Robichaux
Attorney At Law

$25 Million Verdict Awarded to Former Accutane User

Jury Finds Failure to Adequately Warn User of Risks was a Proximate Cause of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

February 16, 2010

In yet another major verdict against the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, a New Jersey jury unanimously ordered the company to pay $25.16 million in damages to a former user of its Accutane drug, Andrew McCarrell, who alleged the acne medicine caused his inflammatory bowel disease.

Free Accutane Case EvaluationMcCarrell, 38, a computer technician from Birmingham, Alabama, got sick after taking the drug for acne in 1995. He needed five surgeries, including one to remove his colon. The jury found that Roche failed to provide an adequate warning and that the company's failure to warn was the proximate cause of McCarrell's inflammatory bowel disease. The nine jurors ruled unanimously that McCarrell deserved $25 million in compensatory damages and $159,000 for past medical expenses. McCarrell claimed Roche violated New Jersey's consumer fraud law.

More than 13 million people took Accutane after it was introduced in 1982. The drug also has been associated with birth defects and depression. Roche stopped selling the drug in June 2009, citing generic competition and the high cost of defending personal injury lawsuits. Roche faces hundreds of other lawsuits over Accutane.

The verdict today was the largest of six for Accutane users who won awards totaling $56 million. Roche lost every case, although a Florida appeals court overturned one of those judgments for $7.2 million. McCarrell's current case was a retrial of his previous lawsuit against Roche in 2007, in which McCarrell was awarded only $2.62 million in damages. Accordingly, this new jury award represents an increase in the damages awarded to McCarrell in the amount of $22.54 million.

The case is McCarrell v. Hoffmann LaRoche Inc., L-1951-03, New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic County (Atlantic City).

 

Free Case Evaluation

General Information
First Name
Last Name
City
Zip Code
State
Country
Primary Phone
Alternate Phone
E-Mail Address
Accutane Use
Date you last used Accutane:
Medications Used
Accutane
Generic Accutane : Amnesteem, Claravis, and/or Sotret.
Diagnosis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's Disease
Other (Please Explain)
Approximately what year was the diagnosis by a medical professional?
Please describe the nature and extent of your injuries resulting from your use of Accutane:
Questions / Comments
 
I have read and understand the Terms & Conditions Below.

Send Request
Terms & Conditions
Please be advised we do not and cannot represent you until we have had an opportunity to evaluate your potential claim. Until such time as we have a signed contract of representation from you, we do not represent you in any claim Be advised that the statute of limitations on your claim may have already expired and, if it has not, each day that passes brings you closer to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Thus, you need to act immediately in filling out the above questionnaire. We do not represent you until we have received a fully executed fee agreement.

Thank You! Thank you for your recent inquiry. I, or a member of my staff will contact you by e-mail or telephone to obtain further details.

We will call or email you in the next 30 minutes to discuss your case.

Sorry, There was a problem sending your request. Click the button above to send me an email at info@robichauxlaw.com. I, or a member of my staff will contact you by e-mail or telephone to obtain further details of your Accutane ingestion.


If you send an e-mail message to the Robichaux Law Firm L.L.C., (www.robichauxlaw.com) it does not constitute an attorney/client privilege or relationship and does not commit the law firm to undertake any representation or obligation in connection with responding to that e-mail. An attorney/client relationship will not be created until the law firm considers potential conflicts of interest and any necessary fee agreement is entered into between the client and the law firm. A person should be aware that the use of transmission of e-mail may not be a secure transmission; therefore, any privileged or confidential information should not be transmitted by e-mail. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be legal or medical advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.

Accutane® is a registered trademark of Roche Pharmaceuticals. This is not a Roche Pharmaceuticlas website nor is it authorized by Roche.
Amnesteem® is a registered trademark of Genpharm, Inc. / Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. This is not a Mylan Pharmaceuticlas website nor is it authorized by Mylan.
Claravis® is a registered trademark of Barr Laboratories Inc. This is not a Barr Laboratories website nor is it authorized by Barr.
Sotret® is a registered trademark of Ranbaxy Laboratories Inc. This is not a Ranbaxy Laboratories website nor is it authorized by Ranbaxy.

Please be advised we do not and cannot represent you until we have had an opportunity to evaluate your potential claim. Until such time as we have a signed contract of representation from you, we do not represent you in any claim Be advised that the statute of limitations on your claim may have already expired and, if it has not, each day that passes brings you closer to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Thus, you need to act immediately in filling out the above questionnaire. We do not represent you until we have received a fully executed fee agreement.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

© 2011 Robichaux Law Firm L.L.C., All rights reserved.