Testosterone: What to Ask About a Claim in Michigan

Michigan TRT cases filed in federal court — including the E.D. Mich. or W.D. Mich. — were transferred to MDL 2545 in the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Matthew Kennelly. Michigan's large industrial male population in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Lansing has contributed meaningful plaintiff numbers to MDL 2545. The MDL was largely resolved through global settlements with AbbVie, Endo, and Auxilium and is no longer on the JPML's list of pending MDLs (Oct. 1, 2026 report); an attorney can say whether any route remains for a new claim.

Michigan's statute of limitations for personal injury is three years under MCL § 600.5805(2), and for products liability also three years under MCL § 600.5805(12). Michigan has no general discovery rule: a claim accrues when the wrong is done, regardless of when damage results, unless a statute provides otherwise (MCL 600.5827; Trentadue v. Buckler Automatic Lawn Sprinkler Co., 479 Mich. 378 (2007)). Michigan has no product liability statute of repose; for a product in use for at least 10 years, the plaintiff must prove a prima facie case without the benefit of any presumption (MCL § 600.5805(12)).

Michigan has elevated rates of cardiovascular disease, particularly in the Detroit metro area and the industrial communities of Southeast Michigan. Michigan men in the 45–65 demographic showed high TRT prescription rates between 2010 and 2016, consistent with national trends. Henry Ford Health System, Beaumont Health, and Michigan Medicine treated a significant volume of TRT-associated cardiovascular events. Michigan's manufacturing workforce has historically elevated rates of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity — compounding cardiovascular risk from TRT products.

Michigan plaintiffs may file in Michigan Circuit Courts or in federal court. Under Michigan's comparative fault rule, a plaintiff more than 50% at fault cannot recover noneconomic damages, and economic damages are reduced by the plaintiff's percentage of fault (MCL 600.2959). Michigan's product liability statute (MCL § 600.2945 et seq.) provides for strict liability in tort for design defect and failure-to-warn claims. Michigan also has a pharmaceutical liability exception that can limit failure-to-warn claims if the drug was approved by the FDA and adequate warnings were given to prescribing physicians — making pre-2015 FDA warning evidence especially critical in Michigan TRT cases.