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Device litigation · Monthly update

Bard PowerPort lawsuit update: October 2026

Case counts, trial results and the bellwether schedule in the federal Bard implanted port catheter litigation.

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Where things stand

See the counsel notes

As of October 1, 2026, the Bard PowerPort MDL had 4,140 pending cases, according to the JPML. Bellwether trials are under way in Arizona. A jury awarded $40 million on September 4, 2026, after earlier trials went Bard's way in whole or in part. The next trial was set for October 13, 2026. We have not yet confirmed its outcome. No settlement has been announced.

  • Bard implanted port catheter MDL 3081 had 4,140 pending cases on October 1, 2026, out of 4,420 filed.
  • The first bellwether (Cook) ended with a defense verdict on two claims and a mistrial on two, according to BD.
  • On September 4, 2026, a jury awarded $40 million in compensatory damages in the Divelbliss bellwether. Bard said it will pursue post-trial and appeal options.
  • The Lattanzio trial was set for October 13–30, 2026. Its outcome is not yet verified. Hicks follows on December 1, 2026, and Sorensen on February 2, 2027.
  • No global settlement has been announced in the records we reviewed.

Docket summary

Bard implanted port catheter (PowerPort)

Docket number
MDL No. 3081
Venue
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
Judge assigned
Hon. David G. Campbell (Senior Judge)
Pending
4,140 (counted October 1, 2026)
Next scheduled event
Lattanzio trial set for October 13, 2026 (outcome not yet verified); Hicks December 1, 2026; Sorensen February 2, 2027
Current posture
Bellwether trials under way; $40 million plaintiff verdict on September 4, 2026; no settlement announced

Data source

Firms handling these cases

Firms that advertise Bard PowerPort cases.
Firm nameSuited toEstablishedHeadquartersCourt-appointed postsFees
1 The Lanier Law FirmPowerPort claims; Rebecca Phillips is one of three court-appointed plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in MDL 30811990Houston, TexasCo-lead, Bard port catheter MDL 3081; Co-lead, Bard hernia mesh MDL 2846Contingency, with no upfront costs or fees
2 Schmidt & Clark, LLPA free review of a port catheter fracture or infection claim, with intake from every state and a 24/7 phone line2005Washington, DCNo court appointment locatedFree case review, with a phone line open 24/7
3 Seeger WeissPowerPort claims, from a firm that also holds a co-lead seat in the Philips CPAP MDL1999Ridgefield Park, New JerseyCo-lead, Philips CPAP MDL 3014Not stated on the page we reviewed
4 Wisner BaumPort catheter claims, including Bard PowerPort, handled on a contingency fee basisNot statedLos Angeles, CaliforniaCo-lead, spinal cord stimulator MDL 3181Contingency ("No Fees Unless We Win")

Where the PowerPort case stands

Bard’s implanted port catheters, sold under names including PowerPort, are the subject of a federal MDL in Arizona. Senior Judge David G. Campbell oversees it. In total, 4,420 cases have been filed. On October 1, 2026, 4,140 were still pending.

BD, Bard’s parent company, gives its own count. Its quarterly report says it faced about 3,850 implantable port product liability claims as of June 30, 2026. Most were in the Arizona MDL. The JPML and BD count on different dates and in different ways, so the numbers do not match.

A separate MDL covers ports made by AngioDynamics and Navilyst. That case, MDL 3125, sits in the Northern District of California before Judge Jinsook Ohta. It had 439 pending cases on October 1, 2026.

Bellwether trials so far

A bellwether is an early test trial. Both sides use the results to value the rest of the cases. A December 5, 2025 court order set six trials.

Trial Dates Result
Cook April 21 – May 8, 2026 Defense verdict on two claims; mistrial on two claims (per BD)
Miller July 7 – 24, 2026 Not confirmed (see below)
Divelbliss Aug. 18 – Sept. 4, 2026 Plaintiff won $40 million in compensatory damages
Lattanzio Oct. 13 – 30, 2026 Outcome not yet verified
Hicks Dec. 1 – 18, 2026 Scheduled
Sorensen Feb. 2 – 19, 2027 Scheduled

Cook. The first trial began in April 2026. BD reports a defense verdict on two claims and a mistrial on the other two. This result comes from BD’s own SEC filing.

The infection bellwether. Drugwatch, a secondary source, reports that a bellwether over a serious infection also ended in a Bard win. It says the plaintiff is seeking a retrial. The report does not name the case. The timing fits the Miller trial, but we have not confirmed that.

Divelbliss. The trial ended on September 4, 2026. The jury awarded $40 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages. It found for the plaintiff on two claims, negligent design defect and failure to warn, in a case about a catheter fracture. It rejected the manufacturing defect and fraudulent concealment claims. Bard said it will pursue post-trial and appeal options, so the award could change.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

What happens next

Lattanzio. This trial was set to start on October 13, 2026 and run through October 30. We have not yet verified whether it went forward or how it ended. We will report the result in our next monthly update.

Hicks and Sorensen. Hicks is set for December 1 to 18, 2026. Sorensen is set for February 2 to 19, 2027.

Settlement. No global settlement has been announced in the records we reviewed.

Who leads the case

The court named plaintiffs’ leadership on September 19, 2023.

Role Lawyer Firm
Co-lead counsel Rebecca Phillips The Lanier Law Firm
Co-lead counsel Adam M. Evans Dickerson Oxton
Co-lead counsel Michael Sacchet Ciresi Conlin
Liaison counsel Steve German Scout Law Group

The Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee includes Wagstaff & Cartmell, Berger Montague and The Cochran Firm-Dallas, among others.

Timeline

Date Event
September 19, 2023 Court appoints plaintiffs’ leadership
December 5, 2025 Court sets six bellwether trials
April 21, 2026 Cook trial set to begin; it ended in a partial defense verdict and partial mistrial
June 30, 2026 BD reports about 3,850 port claims
July 7, 2026 Miller trial set to begin
September 4, 2026 $40 million Divelbliss verdict
October 1, 2026 JPML counts 4,140 pending cases
October 13, 2026 Lattanzio trial set to begin (outcome not yet verified)
December 1, 2026 Hicks trial set to begin
February 2, 2027 Sorensen trial set to begin

Bard also faced a large IVC filter MDL (MDL 2641) in the same court. It closed to new cases on May 31, 2019, after more than 8,000 filings. The court then sent cases back to their home courts through 2021. The MDL no longer appears on the JPML’s active list. BD says it still defends IVC filter claims in various courts but gives no count.

The first Bard IVC bellwether, Booker v. Bard, ended in a $3.6 million verdict in March 2018. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Cook’s separate IVC filter MDL is covered on our October 2026 update on all device lawsuits.

If you have a port catheter injury

Cases are still pending in the MDL. Filing deadlines depend on your state and on when the clock starts. A lawyer can tell you the deadline in your state. For hernia mesh cases against Bard, see our hernia mesh lawsuit update.

Firm profiles

The Lanier Law Firm

Suited to: PowerPort claims; Rebecca Phillips is one of three court-appointed plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in MDL 3081

Mark Lanier founded The Lanier Law Firm, a Houston trial practice, in 1990. Lawyers at the firm hold co-lead posts in two Bard MDLs: port catheters and hernia mesh.

Headquarters
Houston, Texas
Established
1990
Fees
Contingency, with no upfront costs or fees
Case types on its website
Bard PowerPort, and hernia mesh

Court appointments

  • On September 19, 2023, the court named Rebecca Phillips as one of three plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in the Bard implanted port catheter MDL (MDL 3081, D. Ariz.). Citation
  • Kelsey L. Stokes is one of the plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in the Bard hernia mesh MDL (MDL 2846, S.D. Ohio). She joined the firm, and her appointment was updated by order on February 23, 2026. Citation

Reported outcomes

  • In March 2016, a jury returned a $502 million verdict for five plaintiffs against J&J/DePuy in a case over Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implants. Citation
  • In December 2016, six plaintiffs won a $1.04 billion verdict in a second Pinnacle hip bellwether, the firm reports. Citation

Questions to raise

  • Appeals courts often cut or send back large verdicts. Ask what became of the firm's past device verdicts.

Website: lanierlawfirm.com

Schmidt & Clark, LLP

Suited to: A free review of a port catheter fracture or infection claim, with intake from every state and a 24/7 phone line

Schmidt & Clark is a plaintiffs' firm that represents injured people nationwide in individual cases. Most of its work is in mass torts: defective products, medical devices, harmful drugs and toxic exposure.

Schmidt & Clark lists Bard PowerPort among the device cases it takes. It does not hold a leadership seat in MDL 3081.

Headquarters
Washington, DC
Established
2005
Fees
Free case review, with a phone line open 24/7
Case types on its website
hernia mesh, spinal cord stimulators, Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters, and Nexplanon

Awards

  • The firm says Best Lawyers included it on the 2026 "Best Law Firms" list. Citation
  • C.L. Mike Schmidt, a partner, is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law and in Personal Injury Trial Law, and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial. Citation
  • The firm says Super Lawyers has selected it for 19 straight years. Citation

Questions to raise

  • Its website lists no individual verdict or settlement figures. Ask what results it has had in cases like yours.
  • Ask whether the firm would keep your case or refer it to co-counsel. Referral is common in mass torts.

Website: schmidtandclark.com

Seeger Weiss

Suited to: PowerPort claims, from a firm that also holds a co-lead seat in the Philips CPAP MDL

Seeger Weiss, founded in 1999, handles mass-tort and class-action cases from New Jersey. The court appointed co-founder Christopher Seeger as a co-lead counsel in the Philips CPAP MDL.

Headquarters
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Established
1999
Fees
Not stated on the page we reviewed
Case types on its website
Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, and Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh

Court appointments

  • A March 24, 2022 order made Christopher A. Seeger one of four plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in the Philips CPAP MDL (MDL 3014, W.D. Pa.). Citation

Reported outcomes

  • 2024: a $1.075 billion personal-injury settlement and a separate $25 million medical monitoring settlement with Philips over CPAP devices. Citation
  • The Philips CPAP economic-loss class settlement won final approval on April 25, 2024. The firm puts its value above $500 million. Citation

Questions to raise

  • Settlement amounts cover every claimant combined. They do not show what any single person received.

Website: seegerweiss.com

Wisner Baum

Suited to: Port catheter claims, including Bard PowerPort, handled on a contingency fee basis

Wisner Baum is a Los Angeles trial firm that went by Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman until January 2023. It tried the first Roundup cancer cases and is now a co-lead in the federal Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator litigation.

Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
Fees
Contingency ("No Fees Unless We Win")
Case types on its website
spinal cord stimulators (Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Nevro), Philips CPAP, IVC filters, and port catheters incl. Bard PowerPort

Court appointments

  • On August 13, 2026, Behram V. Parekh was named one of three co-lead counsel in the Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator MDL (MDL 3181, C.D. Cal.). Citation

Questions to raise

  • Most of the results the firm publishes come from non-device cases. Ask how many device cases its lawyers have taken to trial.

Website: wisnerbaum.com

Each outcome above is drawn from the firm's own published record or from court filings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Citations

  1. JPML: Pending MDL dockets by district (as of October 1, 2026)
  2. Becton, Dickinson and Co.: Form 10-Q, quarter ended June 30, 2026 (port claims, Cook trial, IVC claims)
  3. U.S. District Court for Arizona: Case Management Order No. 1 in MDL 3081, leadership (September 19, 2023)
  4. U.S. District Court for Arizona: Case Management Order No. 42 in MDL 3081, bellwether schedule (December 5, 2025)
  5. HarrisMartin: Plaintiff awarded $40M in bellwether implanted port catheter trial (September 2026)
  6. Verus: $40 million Bard port verdict marks shift in federal bellwether litigation (September 2026)
  7. Drugwatch: Key PowerPort lawsuit trial ends in $40 million verdict (secondary source, September 9, 2026)
  8. D. Ariz.: In re Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2641) case page
  9. gknet.com (plaintiff firm press release): Booker v. Bard verdict (March 2018)

Reader questions

Has Bard settled the PowerPort lawsuits?

No global settlement has been announced in the court and SEC records we reviewed. Bellwether trials continue in Arizona. BD said it was defending about 3,850 implantable port claims as of June 30, 2026.

What was the $40 million PowerPort verdict about?

In the Divelbliss bellwether, the jury found for the plaintiff on negligent design defect and failure to warn, in a catheter fracture case. It awarded $40 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages. It rejected the manufacturing defect and fraudulent concealment claims. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

When is the next Bard PowerPort trial?

The Lattanzio trial was set for October 13 to 30, 2026. We have not yet confirmed whether it went forward or how it ended. The Hicks trial is set for December 1, 2026, and Sorensen for February 2, 2027.

Who leads the plaintiffs in the PowerPort MDL?

A September 19, 2023 order named three plaintiffs' co-lead counsel: Rebecca Phillips (The Lanier Law Firm), Adam M. Evans (Dickerson Oxton) and Michael Sacchet (Ciresi Conlin). Steve German of Scout Law Group is liaison counsel.

Is there a deadline to file a PowerPort lawsuit?

Yes. Each state sets its own deadline for injury claims, and the start date can vary. A lawyer can confirm the deadline that governs your claim in your state.