Seeger Weiss LLP founding partner Chris Seeger, a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Bextra and Celebrex Marketing Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation, helped to shape the $894 million settlement which was announced by Pfizer on October 17, 2008. The litigation stemmed from claims that Bextra and Celebrex increased the risk and incidence of cardiovascular events in patients who were prescribed the prescription medications for primarily arthritis-related pain. Seeger Weiss LLP, along with co-counsel, was one of the first firms to file Bextra and Celebrex related complaints against Pfizer in the United States, and currently represents approximately 400 claimants.
In total, there were several thousand lawsuits filed against Pfizer because of Bextra and Celebrex related injuries and deaths. The settlement figure announced will be split up to deal with the varied claims that have been leveled against Pfizer; $745 million will be put toward personal-injury lawsuits, $60 million will go to states; and $89 million will be allocated to resolve the consumer-fraud cases. ‘The pending settlement is a great result for our clients and the thousands of other individuals who have been harmed by these dangerous products,’ said Seeger. The settlement has not yet been filed with or approved by the federal court overseeing the Bextra and Celebrex Marketing Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation.
