Thousands of Americans have reported serious medical complications after receiving a PowerPort port-a-cath device for chemotherapy treatment. Nearly 4,000 patients and their families have filed lawsuits for the injuries they suffered, as of August 2026.
Patients claim the PowerPort may contain design defects that could cause the following injuries:
- Catheter fractures
- Catheter migration
- Blood clots (Thrombosis)
- Infections
- Sepsis
- Pulmonary embolism
- Stroke
- Death (in rare cases)
Which company is being sued?
Lawsuit participants are filing claims against the PowerPort’s manufacturer, C.R. Bard, along with its subsidiary company Bard Access Systems. Known today as just “Bard,” the former medical tech company was acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Company in 2017.
C.R. Bard started selling the PowerPort in 2006, slowly developing new models over the next two decades. These are some, but not all, of the PowerPort models being named in the lawsuit:
- PowerPort isp series
- PowerPort ClearVUE series
- PowerPort M.R.I. series
- PowerPort Slim series
- PowerPort Duo series
Who can file a PowerPort claim?
Patients who had a PowerPort device surgically implanted and later dealt with the medical conditions listed above may be eligible to qualify. However, those affected must have also had their PowerPorts either surgically removed, surgically replaced, or scheduled for removal to be eligible.
Immediate family members—like parents, siblings, spouses, and children—may also be eligible to file a claim on behalf of a loved one who passed away. You are NOT required to have been personally injured to qualify for an immediate family member.
Is there a deadline for filing a claim?
No, there is not a global deadline for the PowerPort lawsuit at this time. Each individual case, however, is affected by the Statute of Limitations, a law that limits how much time you have to file a claim.
In most states, the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury cases lasts between 2-3 years. But for the PowerPort lawsuit, this time limit begins the day a patient discovers an injury related to the PowerPort, NOT the day the device was surgically implanted. In some cases, it can take years for a patient to discover an injury related to their chemo port.
However, some states also have a Statute of Repose, which completely blocks victims from suing over a defective product after a certain amount of time has passed. The Statute of Repose time limit—in the states that have one—typically lasts around 10 years.
To account for each state’s Statute of Limitations and Statute of Repose laws, we are currently reviewing PowerPort cases for patients who had their devices surgically implanted in 2013 or later.
Have any settlements been announced?
No, there have not yet been any settlements announced for PowerPort patients. However, the lawsuit is currently in the bellwether trial stage, which means a verdict could soon be on the way. The first trial has already concluded, with the next trial beginning in August 2026.
File a PowerPort claim
If you or an immediate family member experienced medical complications after receiving a PowerPort device, you may be entitled to significant compensation from the lawsuit.
Ready for a free case review? Take our online PowerPort eligibility evaluation to see if you may be eligible to file a claim.