McCarrell v. Roche (Accutane)

Summary

Andrew McCarrell sued Hoffman-LaRoche and Roche Laboratories, which manufactured and distributed the prescription drug Accutane. McCarrell alleged that as a result of taking Accutane for an acne condition, he developed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which led to the surgical removal of his colon. The jury returned a $2.6M verdict.

View the original trial McCarrell v. Hoffman LaRoche Also available: the October 2008 trial, In re: Accutane.

The Superior Court's appellate division ruled that the defendants in the McCarrell trial should have been allowed to present the background statistics showing that there were five million Accutane users.

"With all due deference to the trial judge, whose overall studious and even-handed management of this complex case was exemplary, she erred in forbidding Roche from placing into evidence statistics about Accutane usage that could have made Roche's conduct and labeling decisions appear far more reasonable to the jury. For instance, the "five million users" statistic proffered by Dr. Huber could have given the jurors very relevant contextual background, and possibly led the jury to be more indulgent of Roche's delay in upgrading the risk information on Accutane's label and package insert."

Openings in the retrial were January 13, 2010. Request FREE VIDEO CLIPS of Opening Argument. On February 16, 2010, the jury returned a $25M verdict in favor of the plaintiff.

For more Accutane litigation, see the CVN Blog.

Outcome

Damages: 119,000.00
Medical Expenses: 2,500,000.00

Case Information

Attorneys

Witnesses

Plaintiff: McCarrell, Andrew
Defense: Hoffman LaRoche, Inc
Verdict: $2,619,000

Judge: Carol Higbee
Jurisdiction: New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic County
Court: Atlantic County Civil Courthouse

Case Number: ATL-L-1951-03
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Practice Area: Products Liability, Pharmaceuticals, Tort Law, Toxic Torts

Sessions

Attorney

Witness

Type

Description

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Openings

5 Chapters

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:15:01	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	McLane, Dr John MD	Video Recording
01:32:50	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	Video Recording
02:20:58	End of Session		Huber, Dr. Martin MD	Video Recording

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	Video Recording
00:50:58	Break
01:15:29	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Leach, Eileen Enny MPH, RN	Video Recording
01:53:54	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Heather	Video Recording
02:18:33	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Bess, Dr. Alan MD	Video Recording
		01:24:29	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Bess, Dr. Alan MD	Video Recording
00:24:30	Witness Direct Examination	Smith, Paul	Reshef, Dr. Daniel MD	Video Recording
01:37:10	Witness Direct Examination	Lurton, Jack	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
02:10:54	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Lurton, Jack	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
		01:50:00	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

1 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Hewit, Russell	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Hewit, Russell	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
00:58:45	Break
01:01:25	Witness Cross Examination	Hewit, Russell	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
01:03:56	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Lurton, Jack	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

9 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Lurton, Jack	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
00:06:59	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Hewit, Russell	McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
00:25:26	Break
00:35:47	General Case Activities		McCarrell, Mr. Andrew	In Person
00:37:38	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Petchel, Kasia	Video Recording
01:20:45	Break
01:45:09	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Petchel, Kasia	Video Recording
01:55:37	Witness Direct Examination	Lifton, Diane	Stockfisch, Dr. William	Video Recording
02:37:44	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hewit, Russell	Allen, Dr. James	Video Recording
00:08:28	Break
00:35:28	Witness Direct Examination	Hewit, Russell	Allen, Dr. James	Video Recording
01:36:21	Break
02:01:59	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
02:25:30	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
		01:37:52	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
00:51:21	Break
01:35:19	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
02:46:09	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
		01:07:35	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

3 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
00:11:48	Witness Cross Examination	See, Andrew	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
02:04:40	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	See, Andrew	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
		02:11:42	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	See, Andrew	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
02:07:52	Break
02:17:32	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
02:41:56	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

8 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
00:32:27	Witness Re-Cross Examination	See, Andrew	Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
00:50:08	Break
00:58:44	General Case Activities		Sachar, Dr. David B. MD	In Person
01:08:48	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Reddy, Dr. Deepa M.D.	Video Recording
01:14:55	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Siegel, Dr. Cory	Video Recording
01:18:36	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	King, Dr.	Video Recording
01:30:17	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

3 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Hanour, Dr. Stephen	Video Recording
00:47:24	Witness Direct Examination	Buchanan, David	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
01:19:17	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Buchanan, David	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
01:31:05	Break
01:47:07	Witness Direct Examination	Buchanan, David	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
02:43:50	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Buchanan, David	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
00:47:09	Witness Cross Examination	Gage, William	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
01:18:06	Break
01:51:09	Witness Cross Examination	Gage, William	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
02:35:46	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Buchanan, David	Blume, Dr. Cheryl PhD	In Person
02:46:06	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

3 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Bolton, Stephen	Ou-Tim, Dr. Leonard MD	Video Recording
00:39:42	Witness Cross Examination	See, Andrew	Ou-Tim, Dr. Leonard MD	Video Recording
00:52:16	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Bolton, Stephen	Dean, Dr. Phillip	Video Recording
00:35:26	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Gerald, Dr. Ann MD	Video Recording
01:23:51	Break
01:38:50	Witness Direct Examination	Bolton, Stephen	Wynne, Dr. David F. MD	Video Recording
02:13:03	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Barley, Dr. Kenneth	Video Recording
02:52:52	End of Session

JAN

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

3 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Lurton, Jack	Lee McCarrell, Mrs. Nicole	In Person
00:58:36	Witness Cross Examination	Hewit, Russell	Lee McCarrell, Mrs. Nicole	In Person
02:08:01	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

7 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hewit, Russell	Magni, Dr. Guido	Video Recording
00:54:40	Witness Direct Examination	Hewit, Russell	Leach, Eileen Enny MPH, RN	Video Recording
01:11:30	Break
01:38:41	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Heather	Video Recording
01:50:41	Witness Direct Examination	Hook, Michael	Petchel, Kasia	Video Recording
02:16:41	End of Session
02:16:41	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hennessey, Colleen	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
01:18:48	Break
01:36:59	Witness Direct Examination	Hennessey, Colleen	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
02:44:42	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Hennessey, Colleen	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
01:25:04	Break
01:46:23	Witness Direct Examination	Hennessey, Colleen	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
02:39:40	Witness Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
02:47:40	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

2 Chapters

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
		00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
		02:08:14	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
01:11:00	Break		Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
01:31:56	Witness Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
03:05:48	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Hennessey, Colleen	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
03:34:49	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Mayer, Dr. Lloyd F. MD	In Person
03:40:26	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Ryan, Mike	Bess, Dr. Alan MD	Video Recording
00:26:28	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
00:48:29	Break
01:12:44	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
02:06:25	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
00:50:41	Break
01:13:36	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
02:26:53	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

3 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	See, Andrew	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
00:25:38	Witness Cross Examination	Hook, Michael	Huber, Dr. Martin MD	In Person
01:58:07	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

5 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Closings

5 Chapters

PM Session

Closings

2 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

PM Session

Not in Session

0 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Other

2 Chapters

PM Session

Verdict

1 Chapters

FEB

Recording Disclaimer: This proceeding was recorded in full.

McCarrell v. Roche (Accutane)

Summary

Outcome

Sessions

Suggest a Trial

CVN Essentials

Video Library

	Description	Attorney
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:05:21	Opening Statement	Hook, Michael
01:40:16	Break
01:53:34	Opening Statement	See, Andrew
03:05:32	End of Session

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Bufano, Michelle	Reddy, Dr. Deepa M.D.	Video Recording
00:08:17	Witness Direct Examination	Bufano, Michelle	Kane, Dr. Sunanda	Video Recording
00:31:47	Break
01:39:20	Closing Statement	See, Andrew
03:29:16	End of Session