Jury Awards $1.7 Million to Levaquin Plaintiff

MINNEAPOLIS - A federal jury has awarded a plaintiff $1.7 million in the first Levaquin injury case to go to trial, finding that Ortho-McNeil-Janssen and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, failed to adequately warn patients that the drug may cause tendon damage. Schedin v. Johnson & Johnson, et al., No. 08-05743 (D. Minn.).

After a three-week trial, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota jury on Dec. 8 awarded John Schedin $1.1 million in punitive damages and $63,000 in compensatory damages. The jury answered "yes" to the question, "By clear and convincing evidence, did defendant act with …