Bard PowerPort lawsuits allege that manufacturing issues with the device caused serious injuries. According to legal filings, the company neglected to inform patients of risks like blood clots, hemorrhage, infection, punctures to the heart and more.
If you or your loved one suffered serious injuries after your Bard PowerPort device failed, you may be entitled to compensation. Get a free case review.
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Suffering from serious injuries after your Bard PowerPort device failed?
The Bard PowerPort is a medical device that is implanted under the skin to help patients receive ongoing treatment, including chemotherapy, fluids or blood tests. It features a self-sealing silicone port and a catheter that can be seen in imaging like X-rays, allowing doctors to administer high-pressure injections for certain medical procedures.
While the PowerPort is designed to make procedures easier, some reports and lawsuits suggest that the catheter could lead to serious health issues, such as blood clots, infections or catheter migration.
Although the manufacturer, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), claims that there hasn’t been a recall for these issues, there are still ongoing legal cases regarding the device’s safety.
Intended PowerPort Uses and Risks:
Used for:
Blood products
Contrast media
I.V. fluids
Medications
Nutrients
Risks:
Catheter fracture
Catheter migration in the body
Infection
Thrombosis (blood clots)
Hundreds of Bard PowerPort lawsuits have been combined in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in an Arizona federal court. MDLs enable courts to consolidate similar lawsuits into a single litigation to expedite the legal process.
Why Are People Filing PowerPort Lawsuits?
People are filing lawsuits against the makers of the Bard PowerPort, alleging that the device’s faulty design increases the risk of blood clots, infection and organ damage.
Lawsuits specifically point to barium sulfate concentration levels in the port’s catheter being too high. This can cause device migration or fracture, leading to dangers like:
Blood clots
Blood vessel injuries
Fluid collecting around the heart that makes it difficult to pump blood
Infection
Organ punctures
Pain
Pulmonary embolisms
Plaintiffs claim that BD may have known about these issues for several years. The allegations against the manufacturer state that it failed to warn doctors and patients about the potential risks of using the Bard PowerPort.
Bard PowerPort side effects from complications may include:
Breathing difficulty
Confusion
Drainage at the port site
Fever
Inflammation
Kidney problems
Swelling
Lawsuits against BD and its subsidiaries claim they failed to represent device safety and warn health care providers.
“Bard PowerPort injuries result in numerous damages to potential victims, including sustaining medical bills, future medical expenses, lost wages or lost earning capacity, permanent disability, pain and suffering, emotional damages, and other compensatory damages,” said attorney Brendan Smith of Simmons Hanly Conroy.
You may be eligible to file a Bard PowerPort lawsuit if your doctor implanted a Bard PowerPort device and you experienced a related injury. Only a licensed attorney can tell you if you are eligible.
Qualifying injuries in lawsuits include:
Blood clots (such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism)
Cardiac punctures
Heart attack
Hemorrhage or hematoma (bleeding)
Infection
Necrosis (tissue death)
Pericardial effusion (fluid buildup around the heart)
Severe or long-lasting pain
Stroke
Tearing or perforating of blood vessels, organs or tissue
A Bard PowerPort lawyer may ask about your experiences after you received the device. Make sure to have a record of your symptoms and medical issues with you when you speak to an attorney. If you aren’t sure about your diagnosis, a lawyer may be able to help you obtain medical records.
Bard PowerPort Injury Evidence Checklist
A timeline showing when your symptoms started and how they relate to your PowerPort device.
Medical bills related to your injuries.
Medical records related to your injuries.
Medical records related to your PowerPort.
Statute of Limitations for PowerPort Lawsuits
If you want to file a PowerPort lawsuit, talk to an attorney immediately. You may have a limited time to file.
The statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is a time limit that determines how long someone has to file a claim after an injury. It’s typically two to three years in most states, but it can be as little as one year.
This period may start on the day the injury occurs or when the person realizes they are harmed. If a claim isn’t filed within this time limit, the court may dismiss it, preventing any chance for compensation.
How to File a Bard PowerPort Lawsuit
If you were impacted by a PowerPort device and want to file a lawsuit, Drugwatch can assist you. We partner with trusted law firms to ensure you get the support and resources you need to pursue justice.
A lawyer can help you:
Gather your medical records
Identify and other information you may need
File your lawsuit
Guide you through the legal process
Your lawyer should explain the entire litigation process. They’ll help you file your complaint in court and negotiate your settlement. They’ll fight for you in court if your case goes to trial.
You can file and begin a Bard PowerPort lawsuit in five steps:
Collect Medical Records and Evidence: Compile hospital documentation, diagnostic test results, pharmacy invoices and discharge summaries related to your injury.
Attorney Intake & Case Review: Reach out to a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases to evaluate your medical documentation and assess your eligibility.
File the Lawsuit & Join MDL: Your attorney will initiate the lawsuit, typically entering the MDL in federal court for consolidated management.
Discovery & Case Development: Both parties will share evidence, expert testimonies and strengthen their cases through document examination and depositions.
Resolution Paths: Cases may end in a settlement, move to trial or be transferred back to local courts. The timing is influenced by the case complexity and court calendars.
An MDL like the PowerPort litigation differs from a class action lawsuit. In an MDL, multiple similar lawsuits are combined in one court, but each person maintains their own case. Settlement amounts can vary depending on the extent of your injuries and other factors.
In contrast, a class action merges all cases into one lawsuit, resulting in a single outcome for all participants.
Drugwatch partners with trusted law firms to help you take legal action. After submitting the form, one of Drugwatch's partners will contact you for a free case review.
Potential Bard PowerPort Settlement Amounts
Based on our industry research, lawyers representing plaintiffs in the Bard PowerPort litigation estimate that the individual payouts of a settlement could range from $10,000 to $250,000.
These estimates are speculative and can vary. On the higher end, we are seeing some estimates as high as nearly $1,000,000.
At this time, no global settlement for the PowerPort litigation has been announced by plaintiffs or defendants.
This isn’t the first time Bard has faced lawsuits. In 2014, the company agreed to settle lawsuits against its defective pelvic mesh products for $21 million. Six years later, Bard settled additional lawsuits for $60 million related to the marketing of its pelvic mesh products.
Since 2021, Bard has faced over 25,000 federal lawsuits for its polypropylene hernia mesh products. This litigation claims the implants caused infections, organ damage, intestinal blockage and other injuries. In October 2024, Bard agreed to a settlement of approximately $1 billion for hernia mesh lawsuits in Ohio and Rhode Island.
Bard also faced federal inferior vena cava (IVC) filter lawsuits. IVC filters aim to reduce the risk of blood clots in people who can’t take blood thinners. NBC News reported that 27 deaths were linked to Bard’s IVC filters.
In April 2018, a jury in Arizona awarded Sherr-Una Booker more than $3.6 million in damages based on her claim that Bard failed to warn of the dangers of the IVC filter. In 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.
“If you or a loved one used a Bard implantable port catheter device and were subsequently injured, you may be eligible to file a Bard PowerPort lawsuit and pursue financial compensation.”
Expert Perspectives on Bard PowerPort Lawsuits
Drugwatch Analysis (October 2025)
The Bard PowerPort MDL is experiencing significant growth, with over 1,000 active cases joining the litigation in the first nine months of 2025. With the number of cases more than doubling since 2024, Bard may be under growing pressure to resolve these lawsuits.
The MDL is preparing for its first bellwether trial in March 2026. Five more are scheduled through December 2026. Bellwether trials can determine the strength of plaintiffs’ cases and sometimes lead to settlements, even before a case goes to trial.
Drugwatch believes these events mark major milestones in the Bard PowerPort litigation. For affected patients, this phase will be significant in determining liability, accountability and the potential for settlements.
Dr. Lee S. Marcus
Board-Certified Cardiologist, CEO of Impact Health
Medical Perspective of Dr. Lee S. Marcus, Cardiologist
“I had a 58-year-old patient whose PowerPort developed a fibrin sheath that wasn’t detected for months during her ovarian cancer treatment. When she finally presented with chest pain and shortness of breath, her CT scan revealed massive bilateral pulmonary emboli that required emergency anticoagulation and nearly cost her life. The oncology team had been attributing her fatigue to chemotherapy side effects.
What makes PowerPort failures particularly insidious from a cardiac perspective is that patients often dismiss early warning signs as cancer-related symptoms. I’ve documented cases where device malfunction caused superior vena cava syndrome, presenting as facial swelling and neck vein distension that patients and even some physicians initially attributed to cancer progression rather than device failure.”
Edward Hones
Attorney
Attorney Edward Hones Explains What to Expect in a Bard PowerPort Lawsuit
“One of the most significant legal challenges in Bard PowerPort lawsuits is establishing clear causation between the device defect and the patient’s injuries. Manufacturers often argue that complications are due to underlying health conditions or improper use rather than a flaw in the device itself. Plaintiffs also face hurdles with the sheer complexity of medical evidence, since these cases usually require expert testimony from both medical and engineering professionals.
To prove liability, attorneys typically focus on showing that the manufacturer knew or should have known about the risks and failed to warn physicians and patients adequately. This often involves digging into internal company documents, FDA reports and patterns of adverse event filings to establish that knowledge. The strategy is to demonstrate that the risks were not only foreseeable but preventable if the company had acted responsibly.”
Latest Bard PowerPort Lawsuit Updates
As of October 2025, there were 1,973 active Bard PowerPort lawsuits pending in Arizona multidistrict litigation (MDL) 3081 before Judge David G. Campbell.
Bard PowerPort Bellwether Trial Schedule
Case
Trial Start Date
Robert Cook
March 2, 2026
Wanda Miller
April 27, 2026
May Lattanzio
July 7, 2026
Kimberly Divelbliss
August 17, 2026
Judy Hicks
October 13, 2026
Lloyd Sorensen
December 1, 2026
We’ve researched court documents and spoken to lawyers to give you the following updates.
Bard PowerPort Lawsuit Timeline
October 1, 2025: Number of Active PowerPort Lawsuits Remains Steady
The number of Bard PowerPort lawsuits has remained largely flat over the last month. There are currently 1,973 lawsuits grouped together in federal court, which is an increase of just one case from this time a month ago.
September 18, 2025: Case Management Conference Today
A case management conference is scheduled for today, where both sides will discuss outstanding issues with the court. This conference comes as growth for these cases continues to accelerate. There are now more than 2,000 active PowerPort cases in the MDL. Additionally, nearly 150 cases are grouped together in New Jersey.
September 2, 2025: Big Jump in PowerPort Cases
At the start of September, more new Bard PowerPort lawsuits continue to be filed. There are now 1,972 active cases grouped together in federal court. This is an increase of more than 160 cases in just the last month alone.
August 18, 2025: Bellwether Trial Schedule Revealed
The schedule for the Bard PowerPort bellwether trials has been finalized. The first trial will now begin on March 2, 2026. The six trials are staggered throughout 2026, with the final one scheduled for December of that year. Remember that bellwether trials are a critical part of the MDL process. They help both sides understand the strength of their cases and can influence settlement negotiations.
August 5, 2025: Discovery Hearing Today
A discovery hearing was held today regarding testimony from experts and whether or not to cut a PowerPort catheter as part of the discovery process. The judge overseeing these cases has directed the parties to cut the catheter and take microscopic photos "to see if cutting does in fact introduce alterations to the catheter as Defendants fear."
August 1, 2025: More PowerPort Lawsuit Growth
At the start of this month, there were 1,807 active Bard PowerPort lawsuits grouped together in federal court. This is an increase of more than 40 cases from a month ago, with the litigation continuing to expand as the bellwether trials near.
July 15, 2025:
The first Powerport bellwether trial will be held in February 2026, according to newly filed court documents. The judge overseeing these cases said that the plan is for the six bellwether trials to take place starting that month with several weeks between each trial.
May 12, 2025:
In a major step for the litigation, the judge overseeing the Powerport lawsuits has selected the six cases that will serve as bellwether trials. The goal had been to settle on a diverse group of cases that represent the various injuries claimed by lawsuits in the MDL. The six lawsuits that have been chosen meet that criteria. The first trial is likely to get underway sometime next year.
April 2025:
Bellwether trials are inching closer to becoming a reality in the Bard Powerport MDL. Plaintiffs and defendants have each whittled down their lists of bellwether options to six cases. The parties only agree on one of those six cases so far, so there is still some work to be done to finalize the bellwether group. A status conference is being held on May 1 where this issue will be discussed.
March 2025:
Following the most recent case management conference in the MDL, the selection of bellwether trials has been delayed by two weeks. Selections are now expected to be made by both parties in late April.
Also this month, Bard PowerPort litigation has continued to grow. Over 100 new cases added to the MDL this month. There are now well over 1,000 active cases pending in multidistrict litigation.
January 2025:
The court has approved an extension of “approximately 30 days” before parties in the MDL need to further narrow down the list of possible bellwether cases. 15 cases had been selected last month, and parties are now set to exchange lists of six proposed options by April 7. This moderate delay should not significantly hinder the bellwether process.
November 2024:
The MDL judge has rejected a request from plaintiffs to extend the discovery schedule. Plaintiffs had hoped to have fact discovery extended by two months into March, citing the loss of time to complete depositions during the upcoming holiday season. The court did say that it will revisit the request at the next case management conference, which is set for early December. But, for now, the current schedule will remain in place.
The MDL has also continued to expand, adding nearly 200 new cases over the last month. There are now 720 pending lawsuits.
October 2024:
The Arizona-based MDL has seen notable growth in recent months, increasing from 299 active cases in July to 521 in October. We are continuing to monitor updates in the ongoing litigation.
July 2024:
U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell met with lawyers to discuss discovery for 24 Bard PowerPort bellwether trials. He was expected to soon issue an order scheduling the first trials, with the next status conference on Aug. 16, 2024.
May 2024:
Defendants requested additional medical records on several plaintiffs that may be considered for bellwether test trials. Without these records, they will be excluded from the trial pool. Another status conference was scheduled.
April 2024:
Federal Judge David G. Campbell turned down Bard's request to delay bellwether trials. The judge ordered attorneys for both sides to stick to the schedule and have candidate cases for bellwether trials submitted to the court by July 1, 2024.
February 2024:
A handful of lawsuits were transferred from state courts in Colorado, New Jersey and Texas into the MDL. No trials had been scheduled.
December 2023:
The Arizona MDL was still in the initial stages. Judge David G. Campbell issued several case management orders to set the groundwork for procedures going forward. Judges on the MDL panel had a hearing scheduled in January 2024 regarding transferring more cases into the MDL.
October 2023:
As of Oct. 19, 2023, there were no Bard PowerPort pending lawsuits in the MDL, but 8,689 cases had been filed, including a product liability lawsuit filed by a Maryland cancer patient.
August 2023:
Plaintiffs filed more than 50 Bard PowerPort lawsuits. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued a transfer order on Aug. 8, 2023, to centralize all claims. The proceedings were set to go before U.S. District Court Judge David G. Campbell of the District of Arizona.
May 2023:
Personal injury and wrongful death claims escalated and courts petitioned to centralize claims. Unlike class-action claims, lawsuits centralized in multidistrict litigation remain individual cases and each plaintiff presents their own damages.
April 2023:
Lawsuits against the makers of the Bard PowerPort catheter device claimed the access system caused multiple injuries due to cracking and fracturing. Patients with the device had an increased risk of blood clots, internal damage and infection.
March 2020:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted a recall notice for several Bard PowerPort models because the devices contained incorrect tunneler tips.
Was There a Bard PowerPort Recall?
There have been recalls for Bard PowerPort, but none have pertained to issues with device deterioration.
“The FDA has issued safety notices and voluntary recalls on certain batches of PowerPort and similar devices. To determine if a particular PowerPort falls under such notice, you can check the FDA’s recall database or consult with a medical professional,” Attorney Brendan Smith told Drugwatch.
BD and Bard issued an urgent medical device recall notification in September 2019. The reason for the recall was identified as an incorrect barb tip for the included catheter in the PowerPort. The notice stated that “there is the potential that the catheter could become dislodged from the tunneler.”
In March 2020, the FDA officially posted a Class 2 recall regarding the incorrect barb tips. The recall recommended that all health care facilities send back affected PowerPort devices.
BD claimed the error was “unlikely to lead to serious injury.”
No, you generally can’t file a claim if your PowerPort device hasn’t fractured or caused serious complications. PowerPort lawsuits usually require injuries like fractures, infections, blood clots or other problems needing surgery or hospitalization.
The exact amount of time you have to file a PowerPort lawsuit varies between states, but it can be as little as one year from the time you were injured. It's important to consult with an attorney immediately if you are considering filing a lawsuit.
In an MDL, individual cases with similar complaints are consolidated in one court, but each person retains their own case. Settlement amounts can vary depending on the severity of the injury. In contrast, a class action consolidates all cases into one lawsuit, resulting in a single outcome for all parties.
Lawyers in MDLs typically earn money through a common benefit fund that compensates them a portion of the settlement. You generally do not pay any money to an attorney if there is no settlement.
In a Bard PowerPort lawsuit, you may be able to recover various damages, including past and future medical expenses, lost income or earning capacity, physical pain and emotional suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Wrongful death claims may also allow recovery for family losses. These damages compensate for both economic losses and non-economic harms caused by defective PowerPort devices.
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“If you or a loved one used a Bard implantable port catheter device and were subsequently injured, you may be eligible to file a Bard PowerPort lawsuit and pursue financial compensation.”
