Wisner Baum is the first law firm in America to file a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson alleging the company knowingly concealed evidence that Risperdal causes breast cancer. We represent over 165 people who allege long-term use of antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal (risperidone) may significantly increase the risk of breast cancer in both women and men due to various mechanisms of action, including drug-induced hyperprolactinemia (abnormally high levels of prolactin hormone).
If you took Risperdal or the generic version (risperidone) and developed breast cancer, our attorneys can help you. Our Risperdal lawyers represent clients on a contingency fee basis, which means if we don’t obtain compensation for you in a verdict or settlement, you don’t pay.
Call (310) 207-3233 or contact us today for a free case evaluation.
August 1, 2025: In an article published earlier this week, Risperdal attorney Monique Alarcon noted that Johnson & Johnson used “the Big Pharma Playbook” of deceptive off-label marketing to increase antipsychotic drug sales.
“Because schizophrenia and bipolar disorder do not affect a significant portion of the population, antipsychotic manufacturers sought a bigger market among doctors prescribing to people without schizophrenia or bipolar disorder,” Alarcon says. “Patients were told the potent psychiatric drugs would provide generalized ‘mood stabilization’.”
Ongoing litigation alleges J&J used disingenuous marketing efforts despite knowing that there are widely available, safer, and more effective prescription drugs to treat these conditions, such as Abilify (aripiprazole), Clozaril (clozapine), Geodon (ziprasidone), and Seroquel (quetiapine).
“These Risperdal cases reveal a pattern,” says Alarcon. “Drugmakers are willing to aggressively market these drugs to meet their bottom line, despite the harm they may cause and the potential monetary damages they may have to pay out.”
May 12, 2025: Wisner Baum Risperdal lawyers filed an amended complaint in the Brown v. Johnson & Johnson case, expanding the allegations against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The amended complaint provides additional evidence of how J&J allegedly concealed breast cancer risks associated with Risperdal (risperidone).
The amended complaint specifically alleges the drug maker:
View the amended complaint here.
April 23, 2025: Risperdal lawyers at Wisner Baum filed a groundbreaking lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court alleging that Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals knowingly concealed evidence that Risperdal (risperidone) causes breast cancer. This is the first lawsuit specifically alleging that Risperdal causes breast cancer, marking a significant development for affected patients nationwide.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of plaintiff Bridgett Brown, claims that manufacturers concealed evidence dating back to the 1990s linking the drug to increased cancer risks. Ms. Brown was diagnosed with breast cancer last year after taking brand-name and generic versions of Risperdal.
“J&J transformed a narrow-use drug into a billion-dollar blockbuster by targeting vulnerable segments of our population, all while hiding a cancer risk they’ve known about for decades,” said Risperdal lawyer Pedram Esfandiary.
The lawsuit alleges that despite knowledge connecting Risperdal to hyperprolactinemia, Risperdal’s drug label denied any cancer risk, stating until 2025, “neither clinical trials nor epidemiological studies conducted to date have shown an association between chronic administration of this class of drugs and tumorigenesis in humans."
“The science has been clear on Risperdal for decades,” said Monique Alarcon, attorney for Ms. Brown. “Johnson & Johnson had a duty to inform; they failed, and now individuals nationwide are suffering the consequences. We intend to hold them accountable.”
The case is Brown v. Johnson & Johnson et al (Case No. 25CV119808). Read the complaint here.
Our lawsuits allege Risperdal can cause breast cancer in women and men. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits, who took Risperdal and generic risperidone for years, allege Johnson & Johnson knew about the breast cancer link but failed to warn consumers about the risk.
Previous Risperdal lawsuit cases against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, relied on research conducted by the company in the 2000s, which found dangerous side effects linked to increased prolactin levels in people who took the mood stabilizer.
If you or someone in your family developed breast cancer after using Risperdal, you may qualify for compensation through our nationwide mass tort action.
A foundational study linking the use of antipsychotics like Risperdal to breast cancer was published in 2022.
For this study, researchers looked at medical records of over 540,000 women in the U.S. to see if taking antipsychotic drugs might increase the risk of breast cancer. They grouped these drugs into three categories based on how much they raise levels of a hormone called prolactin in the body. Researchers then compared how often breast cancer occurred in women taking these drugs versus women taking other medications for mental health.
Here's what they found:
Overall Risk: Women taking any antipsychotic drug had a 35% higher chance of getting breast cancer compared to those not taking these drugs.
Risk Depends on Prolactin Levels: The risk of breast cancer was different depending on how much the drug raised prolactin levels:
Risperdal (risperidone) is classified as a Category 1 drug, which had the highest prolactin-elevating potential.
Higher Doses, Higher Risk: Other studies have found that taking larger amounts of these drugs over time might lead to an even greater risk.
One Possible Cause: Antipsychotic drugs can increase prolactin levels in the body, which might be why they increase breast cancer risk.
In simple terms, this study suggests that women who take antipsychotic drugs—especially ones like Risperdal that significantly increase prolactin levels—may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Prolactin can increase the risk of breast cancer in several ways:
Our attorneys are evaluating cases for people who took Risperdal and subsequently developed breast cancer. The fastest way to determine whether you are eligible to join the Risperdal breast cancer lawsuit is to consult with our legal team. Our Risperdal lawyers offer free and fast case evaluations. The questionnaire takes about five minutes to complete. Once we receive your information, our legal team will promptly respond with the next steps.
A breast cancer diagnosis changes everything. Beyond the physical and emotional toll you may be facing:
The compensation you may receive in a Risperdal lawsuit depends on your damages claims. Compensatory damages aim to reimburse you for losses resulting from the defendant’s negligence. They fall into two main categories:
Economic Damages:
General Damages:
Economic damages are typically easier to calculate as they have specific dollar amounts attached. General damages are more subjective and can vary widely based on individual circumstances.
Mass tort litigations like this may also involve punitive damages, which are additional monetary penalties awarded to plaintiffs in addition to compensatory damages. They serve two main purposes:
Unlike compensatory damages that aim to reimburse victims for actual losses, punitive damages convey that the defendant's actions were unacceptable. They're typically awarded in cases where the defendant's behavior was outrageous or completely disregarded people's safety.
Punitive damages can be substantial, especially when awarded in response to corporate wrongdoing that affects many people. While they are not awarded in every case, and require a higher standard of proof than compensatory damages, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals were previously ordered to pay punitive damages in Risperdal gynecomastia cases.
Johnson & Johnson was previously named as a defendant in lawsuits alleging Risperdal caused gynecomastia (abnormal breast growth) and failed to warn about this risk. These early Risperdal lawsuits, which were litigated between 2015-2021, resulted in significant verdicts and settlements for claimants.
Below are some of the most notable outcomes of the Risperdal gynecomastia litigation:
Pharmaceutical companies must be held accountable when prioritizing profits over patient safety. The drug manufacturers knew about potential risks but failed to warn patients, and now thousands are facing life-changing breast cancer diagnoses.
Evidence suggests the antipsychotic drug makers knew about the breast cancer risks linked to elevated prolactin levels, yet still:
This litigation seeks to hold drug manufacturers accountable for their conduct in failing to warn people about known safety risks.
By joining the Risperdal breast cancer lawsuit, you will:
Don’t carry the burden of a breast cancer diagnosis alone. Let our experienced Risperdal lawyers fight for full and fair compensation you deserve while you focus on your health and recovery.
"Wisner Baum gave exceptional attention to all aspects of the case, detailed inquiry, and tenacious overview of all the information submitted. The paralegals are efficient and diligent. I was completely surprised to find an empathic personal message to take care of my own health during the challenging time of being a full-time caretaker.*"
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 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.
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.
