Yaz MDL Status Update – Yaz Settlements Making Progress

Judge Herndon held a status conference in the Yaz MDL this morning. Plaintiffs and defendants both reported that they are making substantial progress toward settling cases involving injuries from Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella. The parties report that to date Bayer has reached 1,444 Yaz settlements with 33 law firms and more are in the progress of being negotiated. The parties noted that there is a Master Settlement Agreement that is helping to resolve cases similar to what a bellwether trial process would look like, with a range of injuries being resolved, from women who required short hospital stays to continued use of medication as a result of their injuries from the products. The plaintiffs and defendants were both complimentary of Special Master Stephen A. Saltzburg, who is helping guide the settlement talks. Mr. Saltzburg is the Wallace and Beverley Woodbury University Professor of Law and Co-director of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program at the George Washington University School of Law. In 1996, Professor Saltzburg founded and directed the master’s program in Litigation and Dispute Resolution at GW Law. Judge Herndon also complimented the parties for their efforts and recognized the substantial progress that the parties are making to resolve cases. In light of the Yaz settlements, it is more important than even for women who took Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella and suffered an injury to contact a Yaz lawyer so that their claims can be investigated and timely pursued.