Posts Tagged ‘ yasmin-side-effects-yaz-blood ’

What is a Bellwether Trial? Take that Trial for a Test Drive, Baby!

March 4th, 2011. By Kristine B

If you’ve followed news about Fosamax lately, you’ve probably heard the term “bellwether trial” thrown around. The judge in that case has ordered two more bellwether trials in addition to the five that have either already been decided or will be decided later this year. So…

What is a Bellwether Trial?

Basically, a bellwether trial is a trial to indicate future trends in a specific litigation. They are used when a large group of plaintiffs have filed suit based on the same theory or claim and the only feasible way to handle the caseload is through a bellwether trial.

Think of it this way—NASA has flight simulators. Marketing departments have focus groups and in-home trials. Pharmaceutical companies have clinical trials. And your local car dealership hands you the keys for a test drive. Law schools may have mock trials, but the only way to really get a sense of how a major lawsuit is going to play out is the bellwether trial.

In a bellwether trial, a small group of plaintiffs is chosen to represent the group. Those plaintiffs are chosen because their issues are common amongst all the plaintiffs. Most large-scale lawsuits, such as asbestos or Fosamax, will run three to five bellwether trials, although the judge can order more or fewer.

Yaz Bellwether Trials

Also, because a major lawsuit can take a long time to wind its way through the legal process, the bellwether trials become a key milestone for both plaintiffs and defendants–and are, therefore, eagerly awaited by all involved. For example, talk of Yaz lawsuits (or Yasmin lawsuits for that matter) has been going on for a while. But the first Yaz bellwether trial is scheduled to take place later this year, on September 12, 2011 for pulmonary embolism side effects; that will be followed by one set for January 9, 2012 and finally a Yaz thromboembolic case on April 2, 2011. Given such a drawn out timeline, it’s no wonder everyone looks to Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bellwether Trial, Fosamax, Pleading Ignorance, yasmin-side-effects-yaz-blood, Yaz
Posted in Emerging Issues, Pleading Ignorance | 1 Comment »