Bard PowerPort Lawsuit
The Bard PowerPort is an implantable port catheter placed under the skin — usually in the chest — to give cancer patients and others long-term IV access for chemotherapy, medications, and blood draws. Lawsuits allege that the catheter tubing, made of polyurethane blended with barium sulfate, can degrade and grow brittle, causing the catheter to crack, fracture, or migrate inside the body — leading to infections, blood clots, vascular injury, and emergency removal surgeries. Bard and its parent, Becton Dickinson, deny the allegations.
MDL 3081: Where the Litigation Stands
Federal cases are consolidated in MDL 3081 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona before Senior Judge David G. Campbell, who previously oversaw the Bard IVC filter litigation. The docket has grown rapidly, exceeding 3,500 cases by mid-2026. The first bellwether trial, Cook v. Becton Dickinson — an infection case — concluded in May 2026 with a partial defense verdict: the jury found for Bard on failure-to-warn and consumer fraud claims but deadlocked on the central design defect question, leaving that issue unresolved. Five additional bellwether trials are scheduled through early 2027, including cases centered on catheter fracture and thrombosis, which many observers view as the stronger injury profiles. No settlements have been reached.
Injuries in the PowerPort Litigation
Catheter fracture with fragments migrating toward the heart or lungs, device migration, serious infections and sepsis, blood clots (thrombosis), embolism, vascular damage, and surgical removal or replacement of the device.
Current Intake Status
Mass Tort America is not currently accepting new Bard PowerPort cases while the bellwether trials test how juries respond to the design defect evidence. The litigation remains active, and this page will be updated as verdicts come in. If you experienced a port catheter complication, preserve your medical records and device identification card — and if your injury involves a different device or drug, our active litigation page lists the cases we are currently reviewing.