Bard PowerPort Infection Lawsuit Set for Trial To Begin April 21, 2026

Lawyers will meet with the MDL judge today to discuss final steps before a series of six Bard PowerPort lawsuit bellwether trials kickoff between April 2026 and February 2027, which may spur settlement negotiations.

The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Bard PowerPort lawsuits will meet with lawyers today, to review the status of the litigation and final deadlines leading up to the start of the first bellwether trial on April 21, 2026, which is designed to test allegations that the widely used line of port catheters devices were defectively designed and have caused thousands of severe injuries among patients.

The Bard PowerPort is a totally implantable vascular access device (TIVAD) marketed as a safe and effective way to give physicians a reliable way to deliver drugs directly into a patient’s bloodstream when repeated injections are expected, such as during chemotherapy.

The system consists of a small injection port where the needle is inserted, which connects to a polyurethane catheter that delivers medication directly into the bloodstream. However, more than 2,600 individuals have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer in recent years, indicating that the design increases the risk of port catheter infections, fractures and migration injuries.

Each of the lawsuits raise similar allegations, arguing that the use of barium sulfate in the Bard PowerPort construction has led to the premature breakdown of the implant in some cases. Similar claims have also been presented in hundreds of Angiodynamics port catheter lawsuits, and lawyers are closely watching the outcome of upcoming Bard PowerPort bellwether trials to help gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation.

Since July 2023, all Bard PowerPort lawsuits have been consolidated in the District of Arizona under U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

Early in the litigation, Judge Campbell ordered the parties to prepare for a series of “bellwether” trials that will help test the strengths and weaknesses of the claims, and promote potential settlement negotiations.

Last year, the court selected six Bard PowerPort lawsuits that have been undergoing preparations for a series of trial dates set to begin between April 2026 and February 2027.

A lawsuit filed by Robert Cook (PDF) has been selected for the first trial date, which is scheduled to get underway on April 21, 2026. Cook originally filed his complaint in September 2023, indicating he was implanted with a PowerPort for chemotherapy to help treat his rectal cancer. However, less than a month after the procedure, doctors determined that the port catheter was infected, requiring IV antibiotic treatment. Cook and other plaintiffs claim Bard tried to actively conceal problems from the public and federal regulators.

The parties are scheduled to meet today for a case management conference. Ahead of that conference, lawyers submitted a joint memorandum and agenda (PDF) on January 13, indicating there are currently 2,662 Bard PowerPort lawsuits pending in the MDL, with another 193 cases filed in New Jersey state court, and another 23 complaints filed in Arizona state court.

The joint agenda also calls for the Court to issue an order scheduling key dates leading up to the start of the Cook bellwether trial, noting that the parties also submitted juror questionnaires for review with the Court. The trial is expected to last until May 8.

Judge Campbell has indicated that additional bellwether trials will begin on July 7, August 18, October 13, and December 1, of this year, as well as on February 2, 2027.

While the outcomes of these early bellwether trials will not have any binding impact on other claims pending in the MDL or state courts, the average jury awards are expected to have a major impact on future Bard PowerPort lawsuit settlement negotiations.

However, if the bellwether trials do not result in a global agreement to settle Bard PowerPort lawsuits, Judge Campbell may begin remanding hundreds of individual claims to various U.S. District Courts nationwide for separate trials in the future.

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