7th Circuit Reverses Non-Monetary Sanctions Against Boehringer in Pradaxa MDL; Upholds $1 Million Fine

CHICAGO — A federal appeals court majority has reversed a sanctions order issued in the Pradaxa multidistrict litigation requiring Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. to produce certain German employees for deposition in the United States, finding the employees are being “punished for the sins of their employer.”

The majority denied Boehringer’s writ of mandamus challenging the lower court’s monetary sanctions of nearly $1 million for discovery abuses, but found the non-monetary discovery sanctions are contrary to federal law.

In December, Chief Judge David R. Herndon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois fined Boehringer $931,500 in …