Johnson & Johnson Reaches Settlement in Tylenol® Lawsuit

On February 23, 2017

Philadelphia, PA - A new settlement has been reached in the Tylenol® lawsuit. McNeill Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, agreed to resolve more than 200 cases for an undisclosed amount on February 10, 2017. According to court documents, this agreement "establishes a global private settlement program to resolve Tylenol claims (whether filed or unfiled) of the claimants against the McNeil defendants and through which the claimants have agreed to settle their Tylenol claims."

This action was scheduled to be the first multidistrict litigation (MDL) case to be heard in the Tylenol lawsuit. The plaintiffs' case was centered on the wrongful death lawsuit of Denise Hayes, who passed away in 2010 from liver failure thought to be caused by Tylenol. Attorneys for the defense team filed a motion to block expert testimony from Dr. Neil Kaplowitz, but were denied by Judge Lawrence F. Stengel of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kaplowitz was scheduled to testify that acetaminophen, Tylenol's active ingredient, can cause liver damage and failure. The judge stated that Dr. Kaplowitz had based his conclusions on strong evidence and clinical experience.