In an attempt to collect more evidence of undocumented online gambling, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals defense attorneys have put forth a request before all the federal courts presiding over the Abilify gambling lawsuits to grant them access to the plaintiffs\’ computers to prove that the alleged compulsive behaviors may have existed before or after the consumers began using the medication.
The plaintiffs have opposed this request calling it 'the most intrusive invasion of privacy in today's digital age,' pointing out that there are other 'less intrusive' ways of obtaining sensitive information.
More than 400 Abilify product liability lawsuits are filed nationwide under MDL No. 2734 (in Re: Abilify Compulsive Behavior Products Liability Litigation), centralized in October 2016, presided by Chief Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Allegations include compulsive behaviors, such as uncontrollable gambling, shopping, sexual activity or other destructive actions as well as failure to warn the consumers and the medical community about the known link between Abilify and gambling, which may have allowed the users to monitor for signs that may emerge shortly after starting the use of the drug. Recent developments indicate that the first bellwether trials may be delayed from their originally scheduled start in June 2018.
