About Us

Blake T. Vanderhyde is the founder of Vanderhyde Law.  For over 20 years, he has been fighting for victims of injustice and by taking on some of the world’s largest corporations.  Blake graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Cloud State University.  Blake also graduated from the William Mitchell College of Law, where he was a member of the prestigious Law Review.  He is admitted in State and Federal Court and has been recognized by various organizations including Super Lawyers, and Minnesota Law and Politics Who’s Who.  Past and/or current memberships include: American Association for Justice, Minnesota Association for Justice, Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity International, American Inns of Court, Minnesota – Douglas K. Amdahl Inn.

Blake is a former President of Best Buddies International, Saint Cloud Chapter.  Best Buddies is a college-based volunteer program that promotes friendships between students and children with intellectual and development disabilities.  Best Buddies is the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Vanderhyde Law works with law firms and clients throughout the country and has helped thousands of individuals and families receive justice against some of the largest most powerful corporations in the world.  We have assisted people in some of the following Multi District Litigations (MDLs) as well as regular tort actions.

IN RE: OIL SPILL by the OIL RIG "DEEPWATER HORIZON" in the GULF OF MEXICO, on APRIL 20, 2010

MDL No. 2179 - United States District Court - Eastern District of Louisiana

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig began to leak crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the leak was stopped, hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil had been released into the Gulf and oil had washed up onto the shores in at least four Gulf States, making it one of the largest spills in United States history.  Defendants included British Petroleum, Transocean (which owned the Deepwater horizon drilling rig) and Halliburton (the well contractor).

Plaintiffs’ claims focused upon lost business profits and individual income losses, environmental damage, property damage, health problems and risks from oil and chemical dispersants, injuries and health issues from cleanup, and injury claims by rig workers and their families.

IN RE: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation

MDL No.2299 - United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Claims arising from the use of Actos, a prescription medication approved for use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.  Plaintiffs alleged that individuals who use Actos face an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. Plaintiffs further alleged that the defendants concealed their knowledge of this risk and failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers and the health care community.  Defendants denied all allegations of fault.

IN RE: Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation

MDL 1871 - United States District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The typical case involved claims by a plaintiff against defendant SmithKlineBeecham Corp., doing business as GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK").  Actions arose from allegations that certain diabetes drugs manufactured by GSK -- Avandia and/or two sister drugs containing Avandia (Avandamet and Avandaryl) -- caused an increased risk of heart attack and other physical injury, and that GSK failed to provide adequate warnings concerning that risk." GSK denied these allegations. 

DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation

MDL 2197 - United States District Court - Northern District of Ohio

The actions share factual issues as to whether DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular Hip System, a device used in hip replacement surgery, was defectively designed and/or manufactured, and whether DePuy failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the device, which DePuy recalled along with another ASR device, the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, in August 2010.

Stryker Hip Rejuvenate 

MDL 13-2441 - United States District Court - District of Minnesota

This multidistrict litigation consolidated for pretrial purposes all federal cases alleging that dual modular hip replacement prostheses sold under the names "Rejuvenate®" and "ABG II" were defective and have caused injury to the plaintiffs. The defendants in this litigation included, but were not limited to, Howmedica Osteonics Corp d/b/a Stryker Orthopaedics, Stryker Corporation, and Stryker Sales Corporation.

Gadolinium Contrast Dyes Products Liability Litigation

MDL 1909 - United States District Court Northern District of Ohio

Plaintiffs alleged that they suffered substantial injuries caused by the use, in magnetic resonance imaging procedures performed on them, of gadolinium-based contrast agents that were manufactured, marketed and/or sold by Defendants.

IN RE: ZIMMER DUROM HIP CUP PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

 MDL No. 2158 United States District Court - District of New Jersey

IN RE: Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation

MDL 2391 - United States District Court - Northern District of Indiana

The cases in this litigation primarily involve alleged defects in Biomet’s M2a Magnum system

of hip implant products. Plaintiffs’ claims focused upon the metal-on-metal design of the M2a

Magnum system and the alleged propensity of the M2a Magnum devices to generate high

levels of metal ions, cause metallosis in the surrounding tissue, and/or fail early.

IN RE: Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Conserve Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2329, a federal multi-district litigation venued in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; and MDL No. 4710, a coordinated proceeding venued in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Los Angeles Division.

Vaginal and Pelvic Mesh Repair Cases

In one of the largest mass tort cases in history, claims were brought for the following injuries: erosion through vaginal wall or soft tissues, organ perforation, urinary tract infections, nerve damage or chronic pain in pelvic or abdominal organs, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and stress urinary incontinence.

IN RE: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL no. 2327 - United States District Court - Southern District of West Virginia

IN RE: C. R. Bard, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2187 - United States District Court - Southern District of West Virginia

IN RE: Boston Scientific Corp. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2326 - United States District Court - Southern District of West Virginia

IN RE: American Medical Systems, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2325 - United States District Court - Southern District of West Virginia

IN RE: Coloplast Corp. Pelvic Support Systems Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2387 - United States District Court - Southern District of Ohio 

IN RE: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION 2846 - United States District Court – Southern District of Ohio

IN RE: POWER MORCELLATOR PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION, 

MDL 2652 - United States District Court - District of Kansas

Women who had hysterectomies and fibroid removals with power morcellator devices filed lawsuits against manufacturers claiming the devices spread uterine cancer.  Litigation included the following defendants: Johnson & Johnson; Johnson & Johnson Services; Ethicon, Inc.; and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Collectively together, Ethicon Defendants).

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lung Cancer

Individual and Wrongful Death Cases Stemming from Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma against:

A.W. Chesteron Company, Crane Co, H.B. Fuller Company, Union Carbide Corporation, individually and f/k/a Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company, Certainteed Corporation, Uniroyal Inc., Crown, Cork and Seal, USA, Inc. John Crane, Inc. f/k/a Crane Packing Company, Georgia Pacific LLC f/k/a Georgia-Pacific Corp, DAP, Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Company, Goulds Pumps Inc., Sterling Fluid Systems (USA) LLC, individually, and as successor in interest to Indian head, Inc, Gardner Denver, Inc., Joy Technologies, Inc., IMO Industries, Inc., ITT Industries, Inc. Individually, and as Successor in Interest to Bell & Gossett Pump Co, Aurora Pump Company, FMC, Individually, and as Successor in Interest to Chicago Pump Company, Nagle Pumps, Inc. Armstrong international, Inc. Spirax Sarco, Inc., General Electric Company, CBS Corporation, a Pennsylvania Corporation, f/k/a Westinghouse Electric Corporation, FLOWSERVE US, Inc. a.k.a. Flowserve Pump Corp Individually, and as Successor in Interest to Edward Valve and Manufacturing Company, Anderson, Greenwood & CO, Grinnell Corporation f/k/a Grinnell Fire Protection Systems, Inc., Grinnell LLC, Mueller Company, LLC d/b/a Mueller Flow, LLC, Mueller Company, Henry Pratt Company, Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, Riley Power, Inc. f/k/a Riley Stoker Corporation, A.O. Smith Corporation, Trance U.S. Inc., Oakfabco, Inc., Carrier Corporation, and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co

Shoulder Pain Pump

Plaintiffs claimed that pain pump medical devices that strap to the shoulder and deliver anesthetics through a catheter directly to the shoulder and caused damage to cartilage in the shoulder joint, a condition known as post-arthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis, or PAGCL.

Robotic Surgery

In Re: Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System Products Liability Litigation MDL No 2381.  The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation declined to consolidate the suits by plaintiffs alleging injuries from Da Vinci surgical robots.  Cases were handled on an individual basis.

Hernia Mesh

Hernia mesh lawsuits against manufacturer Covidien proceeded on an individual basis and were not consolidated under MDL. Mesh devices named in the lawsuits include Covidien’s Parietex Composite Mesh, Parietex ProGrip Mesh and Parietex Surgical Mesh.