Bard PowerPort Catheter Lawsuit

The first bellwether trial concluded in May with a partial defense verdict and a hung jury on other key issues, such as whether the product was defectively designed and whether Bard and Becton Dickinson engaged in unlawful trade practices.

The multidistrict litigation has 3,044 consolidated cases in the District of Arizona, and the first federal bellwether trial is set to begin on April 21, 2026, before Judge David G. Campbell. Five additional bellwether trials are scheduled through February 2027, focused on injuries tied to catheter fracture, infection, and thrombosis.

As of March 2026, around 2,800 lawsuits were pending in the Bard PowerPort Catheter Litigation in the District of Arizona, with the first bellwether trial, Cook v. Becton Dickinson, set to begin on April 2026.

The parties have concluded motion briefing for five bellwether cases, and the court has begun to rule on case-specific motions for the first bellwether trial. Notably, the court has ruled to exclude several defendants’ experts’ testimony.

As of January 2026, the Bard PowerPort catheter multidistrict litigation continues to grow with 2,545 cases pending alleging design defects that cause catheter fractures, migrations, infections, and other serious injuries, and pretrial activity is focused on expert motions and preparation for a series of bellwether trials.

In December 2025, the Bard PowerPort Catheter Litigation has grown to 2,463 total pending federal cases. Coordinated discovery is underway, and the first six bellwether trials are scheduled to begin in March 2026.

As of October 2025, the Bard PowerPort multidistrict litigation in federal court in Arizona includes 1,973 active lawsuits. The court has set deadlines for expert disclosures and depositions in the upcoming bellwether trials.

The Bard PowerPort MDL grew in September, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,972. The first six bellwether trials will take place from March through December of 2026.

On August 4, plaintiffs submitted case-specific expert reports for the bellwether cases. Depositions of common-issue experts and case-specific fact witnesses are ongoing. The court is expected to hear motions for summary judgement and expert challenges later this month. The first case scheduled for trial is expected to begin in February 2026.

The MDL saw continued growth in June, with 90 new cases added, bringing the total number of pending cases to 1,500. For Bellwether Group 1, the deadline for the plaintiffs’ case-specific expert disclosures is July 2, 2025.

Judge Campbell has set specific criteria for the final six Bard PowerPort catheter bellwether cases, requiring a diverse selection of medical complications and device types at issue in the litigation. The parties exchanged initial selections on April 28th and must meet and confer to finalize their agreed-upon cases by the court’s deadline of May 7th.

The 15th Case Management Conference was held on Thursday, March 20, with both sides submitting a joint memorandum outlining the timeline for key bellwether milestones. Discovery remains a central issue, as the court addressed Bard’s delays in producing complaint files and granted plaintiffs’ attorneys in-person access to depose sales representatives.

The MDL saw continued growth in February, with 108 new lawsuits added, bringing the total number of pending cases to 1,112. The 15^th Case Management Conference occurred on March 20, 2025, where the Court and the parties discussed the proposed timeline for critical bellwether case milestones, including fact discovery, expert reports, and key motions—providing further structure as the litigation moves forward.

The MDL saw significant growth in December, with 78 new lawsuits added, bringing the total pending cases to 891—nearly double the number since October. Judge Campbell issued Case Management Order No. 29, establishing structured discovery protocols for Discovery Group 1, including a firm April 7, 2025, deadline for bellwether case discovery plans. The order details deposition procedures, limiting physician depositions to seven hours and ensuring document exchanges five days in advance.

Judge Campbell issued a ruling narrowing the scope of depositions for Bard’s corporate representatives, finding the initial requests overly broad. During the December 4 Case Management Conference, deadlines for common-issue fact discovery were extended to February 28, 2025, with expert phases now scheduled through July 2025. The next conference is set for January 16, 2025.

The November Case Management Conference brought several key updates. The Court maintained the January 2025 deadline for fact discovery, denying a request from plaintiffs for an extension. The Court set a November 13 deadline for defendants to address disputes over 50 privileged documents, with a decision on in-camera review postponed until December. Plaintiffs failing to comply with court orders face potential case dismissal, and the parties were directed to update stipulations on successor liability.

On October 3, the Court convened a hearing to review the status of discovery and requested additional briefing on specific issues. Over 94 cases have been added to the MDL since September, with the total number of pending cases at 527.

Since August, nearly 100 new cases have been added to the Bard PowerPort Multidistrict Litigation, bringing the total number of cases in the MDL to 427. This is the largest increase in cases since the MDL was established. Discovery and defense depositions continue, and a Case Management Conference is scheduled for October 3^rd, 2024.

On August 16th, the court held a status conference. A significant point of discussion was whether Becton Dickinson, following its 2017 acquisition of Bard, could be held liable for Bard’s actions; the judge decided that the plaintiffs can continue their claims of successor liability, and that Becton Dickinson must produce pertinent documents during discovery.

U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell convened with attorneys to discuss the discovery process for 24 Bard PowerPort bellwether trials. An order outlining the schedule for the initial trials is anticipated soon, with the next status conference set for August 16, 2024.

A joint memorandum ordered by U.S. District of Arizona Judge David G. Campbell is due July 8, 2024. This will address electronically stored information (ESI) search terms for the first 30 custodians in the case, among other issues.