Judge Appoints Attorneys to Leadership Positions in GLP-1 Vision Loss Lawsuits

Lawyers will take actions during pretrial proceedings that benefit all plaintiffs, and work with the Court to eventually select representative GLP-1 vision loss lawsuits to serve as early “bellwether” test trials.

Following the centralization of all federally filed GLP-1 vision loss lawsuits, the U.S. District Judge presiding over the litigation has appointed several attorneys to serve in leadership positions throughout the consolidated pretrial proceedings, to help promote and protect the interests of a growing number of individuals now pursuing claims against the makers of Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs.

Dozens of lawsuits have been brought against manufacturers of GLP-1 medications in reach months, each raising similar allegations that the popular class of diabetes and weight loss drugs can cause a rare eye condition, known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The condition can result in the sudden onset of blurred vision, reduced vision or even blindness. Such injuries are often permanent and life-changing.

NAION has been primarily linked to Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, with a recent study published earlier this month in JAMA Ophthalmology finding that patients taking the drugs faced roughly twice the risk of developing NAION compared to those treated with SGLT2 inhibitor diabetes medications. 

The vision loss lawsuits come as the drug makers already face thousands of other Ozempic lawsuits, Wegovy lawsuits and Mounjaro lawsuits filed by former users, which involve the development of severe gastrointestinal injuries, including stomach paralysis and intestinal blockages.

Plaintiffs in both GLP-1 vision loss lawsuits and the stomach paralysis claims raise similar allegations, indicating that the drug makers knew about the health risks associated with their medications, yet placed profits over patient safety by failing to adequately warn the medical community and the public about the potential risks.

In January, a panel of federal judges determined that all GLP-1 vision loss lawsuits will be centralized as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Judge Karen Marston who is already overseeing a separate GLP-1 stomach paralysis MDL.

While the two MDLs will remain separate, there will likely be significant overlap between stomach paralysis and blindness lawsuits, making it more efficient for Judge Marston to oversee both federal MDLs. In addition, many of the claims also involve the same attorneys and defendants.

As one of the first steps following the formation of an MDL, Judge Marston issued a case management order (PDF) last week appointing 16 attorneys to various leadership positions in the litigation. These include three to serve as Co-Lead Counsel, 11 appointed to serve as the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, and two to serve as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel.

The GLP-1 vision loss attorneys appointed to leadership roles will handle pretrial discovery on behalf of all plaintiffs in the MDL and take the lead in questioning witnesses and presenting evidence. They will also act as spokespersons during pretrial proceedings and perform other responsibilities intended to advance the interests of everyone involved in the consolidated cases.

February 2026 GLP-1 Vision Loss Lawsuits Update

Now that Judge Marston has established the leadership structure, she is expected to order the parties to select a small group of GLP-1 vision loss lawsuits that will be prepared for early trial dates, known as “bellwether” trials.

The preparation of these cases and the outcomes of any trials are designed to help the parties gauge how juries are likely to respond to similar evidence and testimony that will be presented throughout the litigation. While not binding on other claims, the results of these trials are often used to facilitate further settlement negotiations between the parties.

Once the pretrial proceedings and bellwether trials are completed, if the parties have still not reached a GLP-1 vision loss lawsuit settlement agreement or other resolution, Judge Marston would likely begin remanding the cases back to their originating districts for individual trial dates.

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