Zantac Trial Schedule

Updated January 6, 2023

Trial Alert: The first Zantac trial is scheduled to begin on February 27, 2023 in Oakland, California before Hon. Judge Evelio Grillo, Superior Court of California, Alameda County, Complex Litigation Department 21. This is the first of four bellwether trials in the California Zantac JCCP. Zantac attorneys R. Brent Wisner of Wisner Baum and Jennifer Moore of Moore Law Group will serve as lead counsel at trial.

The makers of Zantac (ranitidine) are facing lawsuits in several state courts alleging the widely-used heartburn medication causes several types of cancer. Zantac drug manufacturers named in lawsuits include:

• GlaxoSmithKline
• Sanofi
• Pfizer
• Boehringer Ingelheim

Most Zantac lawsuits were consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) before U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida, the Honorable Robin L. Rosenberg. However, on December 6, 2022, Judge Rosenberg issued an opinion that Zantac lawyers representing some 50,000 plaintiffs failed to provide credible scientific evidence that Zantac causes cancer. Based on that conclusion, Judge Rosenberg granted the drug makers’ request for summary judgment. Plaintiffs’ attorneys will appeal the ruling.

While the Zantac MDL is not currently a viable option for plaintiffs alleging Zantac causes cancer, Zantac lawsuits continue in state courts. Judge Rosenberg’s ruling in the federal MDL will not directly affect the state court cases.

• California
• Illinois
• Delaware

Cases in California state court are part of the “Ranitidine Product Cases” Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings (“JCCP”) 5150. The Honorable Evelio Grillo for the Superior Court of Alameda is the judge overseeing the Ranitidine Products Cases JCCP 5150 (also known simply as the California Zantac JCCP, captioned In Re: Ranitidine Product Cases, JCCP No. 5150).

Wisner Baum Zantac attorney R. Brent Wisner serves on the California state court litigation leadership as one of two plaintiffs’ liaisons. After the ruling in the Zantac MDL, Wisner expressed confidence in his experts in the California Zantac JCCP, where he will serve as co-lead counsel for the first Zantac trial in 2023.

“I learned early on that the direction of this MDL was not looking out for the best interests of the victims,” he told the media following Judge Rosenberg’s ruling. “I am glad my firm realized this and focused on filing in state court.”

Zantac Lawsuit California State Court

On June 21, 2022, Judge Evelio M. Grillo signed Pretrial Order #4, which established the following important dates for the Zantac lawsuits in California state court:

February 16, 2023 – Court hearing on Sargon, which allows the legal teams for the plaintiffs and the defendants to present their expert witnesses and educate the court on the science that underpins their arguments. After carefully considering the expert opinions, Judge Grillo will decide whether the experts used sound logic and valid methodologies to arrive at their scientific opinions. If Judge Grillo determines that the experts used valid methodologies, then Zantac cases in the JCCP can proceed to trial and the experts will be allowed to provide evidence and testimony on whether Zantac causes cancer, and whether that propensity for inducing cancer caused a particular Zantac user to develop cancer.

February 27, 2023 – If plaintiffs’ experts pass muster in Sargon, the first bellwether trial will begin. This could also be the first Zantac trial in the country. A bellwether trial is essentially a test case in a mass tort litigation that sets a precedent for the hundreds or thousands of cases making the same or similar allegations. The first bellwether trial will be a good indicator for out-of-court settlement resolutions. If the plaintiffs win a jury verdict, it generally increases the likelihood that cases will end in settlement agreements.

May 1, 2023 – Second Zantac bellwether trial in the California JCCP. Bellwether trials will continue unless a global settlement is reached, or the court appoints a mediator to negotiate resolutions.

August 7, 2023 – Third Zantac bellwether trial in the California JCCP.

October 23, 2023 – Fourth Zantac bellwether trial in the California JCCP.

Zantac Lawsuit Illinois State Court

A Zantac lawsuit filed in Illinois state court is scheduled to go to trial in February of 2023 in Madison County.

The first Zantac trial was scheduled to take place in Illinois state court at the end of August 2022. However, a week before the trial date, three generic manufacturers agreed to a settlement worth $500,000.

Zantac Lawsuit Delaware State Court

In September of 2022, Wisner Baum filed lawsuits on behalf of more than 7,000 Zantac cancer claimants in Delaware state court (Example case number: N22C-09-161). As of December 2022, no trials have been scheduled for cases in Delaware state court.

When is the First Zantac Trial?

Based on Judge Grillo’s Pretrial Order #4 in the California Zantac JCCP, the first Zantac trial in the California JCCP is scheduled for February 27, 2023, for the Superior Court of Alameda. A case in Illinois is also scheduled to go to trial in February of 2023.

Wisner Baum Zantac Lawyers

Zantac attorneys from the national law firm of Wisner Baum represent thousands of people from across the nation diagnosed with bladder cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and many other forms of cancer. Our firm believes this litigation will eventually include hundreds of thousands of plaintiffs and “dwarf” what the firm helped achieve in the Monsanto Roundup litigation.

If you were diagnosed with cancer after taking Zantac, you may be eligible to pursue compensation in a Zantac lawsuit. To learn more about your legal rights, please call (855) 948-5098 or fill out our contact form to start the free case evaluation process.