Kaster Lynch Farrar & Ball helping lead more than 100 federal MDL cases nationwide

MINNEAPOLIS – After leading the way in lawsuits against 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) over serious infections linked to the company’s Bair Hugger surgical blanket, Houston attorney Kyle Farrar of Kaster Lynch Farrar & Ball LLP has been named to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for more than 100 related lawsuits consolidated in Minneapolis federal court.

Found in hospital operating rooms across the country, the 3M Bair Hugger blows warm air through a quilted blanket to keep patients warm when they are under anesthesia during surgical procedures. The device came under scrutiny after its inventor, Dr. Scott Augustine, began raising questions about possible increased infection risks.

Among the concerns is that the heat generated by the device creates convection currents in operating rooms, which can cause harmful bacteria to become airborne and fall into open surgical incisions, particularly during joint-replacement procedures.

To learn more about 3M Bair Hugger litigation, click here: https://fbtrial.com/practice_areas/bair-hugger-surgical-blanket-litigation/.

The appointment to the PSC means the Kaster Lynch Farrar & Ball legal team will continue its leadership role in pursuing justice for those who have suffered infections tied to the 3M Bair Hugger. The lawsuits, which share common facts, were consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in December before Judge Joan Ericksen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The steering committee attorneys represent the common interests of all MDL plaintiffs and supervise, develop and prosecute any common aspects of the litigation.