Hoffman-LaRoche Granted Summary Judgment in 40 Accutane Cases

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida federal judge has granted Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. summary judgment in 40 Accutane cases, ruling that plaintiffs’ failure to designate a general causation expert by the deadline set in the court’s scheduling order was inexcusable.

On Feb. 14, Judge James S. Moody Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida found plaintiffs’ failure to begin locating an expert until one month after the disclosure deadline “is inexcusable and demonstrates an utter lack of diligence to pursue their claims in this case.”

In June 2011, Gary Aranda and 68 other individuals sued Hoffman-LaRoche in …