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Antipsychotics and Breast Cancer Lawsuits

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Lawsuits allege that popular antipsychotic medications Risperdal (risperidone), Invega (paliperidone), and Zyprexa (olanzapine) significantly increase breast cancer risk in both women and men. Multiple large-scale studies show these drugs can raise prolactin hormone levels, which can trigger cancer development.

These antipsychotic medications work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, which removes the body's natural control over prolactin hormone production. When prolactin levels are elevated, multiple studies have shown this can activate biological pathways that promote breast cancer cell growth.

Wisner Baum was the first law firm to file a breast cancer lawsuit specifically targeting antipsychotic manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly. Our lawsuit alleges the drug makers have known about the breast cancer risk for decades, yet failed to adequately warn patients and doctors.

See if you qualify for an antipsychotics lawsuit by filling out our free case evaluation form. To schedule a consultation, call our legal team at (310) 207-3233.

Current Status of the Antipsychotics Breast Cancer Litigation

  • These are new and developing lawsuits. The attorneys at Wisner Baum filed the first breast cancer-specific antipsychotic lawsuit in April of 2025.
  • Previous Risperdal litigation focused on gynecomastia (male breast tissue growth) and resulted in $800 million in settlements. Current lawsuits specifically target breast cancer, representing a new wave of litigation.

Who Qualifies for an Antipsychotic Breast Cancer Lawsuit?

You may qualify for a legal claim if:

  • You took Risperdal, Invega, or Zyprexa.
  • You were diagnosed with breast cancer after using these medications for a certain length of time.
  • You are male or female (both genders affected).
  • The statute of limitations on your claim has not expired.

The fastest way to find out whether you qualify for a case is to complete our contact form or give us a call at (310) 207-3233.

What To Do If You Believe You Qualify?

  • Consult a Law Firm: Wisner Baum offers free consultations and works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.
  • Don’t Delay: We strongly encourage potential claimants to begin the legal process immediately to avoid missing critical deadlines that could affect your potential claim.
  • Talk to Your Doctor: For current antipsychotic users concerned about the risk of breast cancer, consider talking to your doctor about regular breast cancer screening appropriate for your age and risk factors, monitoring of prolactin levels if you’ve been on these medications long-term, and potential alternative medications that don’t significantly elevate prolactin levels. This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice.

What is a Statute of Limitations?

A statute of limitations is a legal deadline for filing a lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, you may lose the right to seek compensation, no matter how strong your case may be. It is in your best interest to consult with a lawyer as soon as possible.

Potential Compensation in Antipsychotic Lawsuits

The following damages may be available by pursuing a lawsuit:

Economic Damages

These cover provable financial losses caused by your diagnosis:

  1. Medical Expenses
    • Hospital stays, surgeries, chemotherapy, or radiation
    • Medications (e.g., hormone therapy, pain management)
    • Future treatments (reconstructive surgery, physical therapy)
  2. Lost Income
    • Wages lost during treatment/recovery
    • Reduced earning capacity if you can’t return to your job
    • Future lost income for long-term disabilities
  3. Additional Costs
    • Transportation to medical appointments
    • Home nursing care or caregiver wages

Non-Economic Damages

Compensation for intangible harms, including:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

Lawsuits may also result in punitive damages, which are monetary penalties awarded to the plaintiffs in addition to compensatory damages. Punitive damages are designed to punish defendants who recklessly disregard human safety and deter similar harmful conduct from happening again.

How to Find the Best Lawyer for Your Antipsychotic Lawsuit

A breast cancer diagnosis creates profound physical, emotional, and financial consequences. Patients who took an antipsychotic and later developed breast cancer should not face these burdens alone—especially when pharmaceutical companies allegedly failed to warn about known cancer risks.

Our lawsuits allege the drug maker defendants in this litigation knew about breast cancer risks as early as the 1990s but failed to warn patients and doctors. According to legal filings, clinical trials conducted as part of the approval process showed antipsychotics can substantially contribute to breast cancer development, yet manufacturers concealed this evidence while aggressively marketing these drugs to vulnerable populations

You need a law firm with a proven track record of success in similar cases on your side. At Wisner Baum, our attorneys have won some of the most highly publicized prescription drug cases. Our settlements in litigation against Big Pharma include:

  • $105 Million Pharmaceutical Settlement
  • $63 Million Pharmaceutical Class Action Settlement
  • $40 Million Pharmaceutical Class Action Settlement
  • $28 Million Pharmaceutical Class Action Settlement
  • $10 Million Pharmaceutical Class Action Settlement

Put our experience and resources to work for you. Let us fight for full and fair compensation so you can focus on what matters most: your health and well-being.

To learn more about your legal rights, fill out our contact form or call our legal team anytime at (310) 207-3233.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Antipsychotics Litigation

How long do I have to file an antipsychotic lawsuit?

The deadline to file your case is dictated by the specific statute of limitations. Because these deadlines can permanently bar your claim, contact an antipsychotics attorney immediately to determine your specific deadline.

How much does it cost to hire a lawyer for an antipsychotic lawsuit?

Nothing out of pocket. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no upfront costs or attorney fees unless we win your case. We offer free consultations to evaluate your potential claim.

 

Case Results
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More Successful Results
$2.0 Billion Verdict
Personal Injury
In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case. The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.
In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case. The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.
Continue Reading
$2.0 Billion Verdict
Personal Injury

In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case.

The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.

$289.2 Million Verdict
Personal Injury
$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million. Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.
$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million. Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.
Continue Reading
$289.2 Million Verdict
Personal Injury

$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial

Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million.

Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.

$265 Million Settlement
Fatal Train Crash
In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.
In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.
Continue Reading
$265 Million Settlement
Fatal Train Crash

In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.

When companies choose profit over people, we fight. Wisner Baum exposes injustice, demands accountability, and delivers real results for real people. Your Path to Justice Starts Here.
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Los Angeles
11111 Santa Monica
Blvd Suite 1750
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Get Directions
Bay Area
100 Drakes Landing Road
Suite 160
Greenbrae, CA 9490412
Get Directions
Washington, D.C.
2101 L St NW 

Suite 800
Washington, DC 20037
Get Directions
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