Press Release: Zarzaur Law announced yesterday that it has achieved a verdict in a lawsuit brought against Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. On Feb. 9, a civil jury in Escambia County Circuit Court awarded $9.3 million dollars to Plaintiff Paul McGowan. The lawsuit involved allegations that a surgical stapling device, manufactured by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., was defectively designed. The device had been used in the Plaintiff’s gastric bypass surgery in May 2000.
Under terms of the award, McGowan will receive $4.3 million for past damages and $5 million for future damages. The jury deliberated for a total of four hours prior to announcing the verdict. Although several similar cases had been brought against Ethicon Endo-Surgery, this was
the first case in which a jury found this particular product defective.
Joe Zarzaur, of the law firm Zarzaur Law, P.A. was assisted at trial primarily by Phil Hall of McKenzie, Hall and De La Piedra, P.A. The defendant, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. was represented by a law firm based in Tampa, Fla., Carlton Fields, P.A. The case was presided over
by the honorable Paul Rasmussen.