Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Update

Although every injury involving a medical device is stressful and devastating, many women have experienced deeply personal emotional and physical pain as the result of defective transvaginal mesh products. Injuries arising from these products can lead to severe and long-lasting complications, often requiring a series of surgeries or procedures to address the internal damage.

In a September 2014 West Virginia case involving Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon vaginal mesh product, the jury awarded $3.27 million to the plaintiff. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that the company failed to adequately warn her about the dangers and permanent injuries that can arise from use of the mesh. One year earlier, the company faced an $11 million jury verdict in a New Jersey-based trial over Ethicon.

In January 2015, Johnson & Johnson entered into settlement agreements in four cases involving the Ethicon mesh products. So far, this company faces the highest number of lawsuits brought in federal court seeking damages associated with its transvaginal mesh products.

C.R. Bard, another transvaginal mesh company facing litigation over its defective products, had its first trial in federal court involving its mesh products during July 2013. The jury returned a verdict totaling $2 million against the company, based on evidence that Bard failed to adequately test its Avaulta implant for human use or use reasonable care when designing the product. The award included $1.75 million in punitive damages and was later upheld on appeal during January 2015.

Prior to the Bard case reaching a verdict, American Medical Systems entered into a global settlement totaling $54.4 million of cases alleging that its surgical mesh products were defective. Incorporating cases in both state and federal courts, the settlement came one month after the company valued its total potential liability exposure at nearly $160 million. The manufacturer was one of the first companies that the FDA had ordered to perform post-market studies on its surgical mesh products in 2012.

In May 2014, American Medical Systems entered into another settlement agreement to pay out roughly 20,000 claims involving its mesh products for a total sum of $830 million.

Boston Scientific is another manufacturer involved in transvaginal mesh claims, losing in two federal trials conducted back-to-back during November 2014. A West Virginia jury awarded almost $19 million to the plaintiffs, finding that the company was grossly negligent in regard to its mesh products. A week prior to the West Virginia verdict, a federal jury in Miami reached a $26.7 million verdict in favor of a group of women who claimed that they suffered injuries as a result of Boston Scientific’s Pinnacle mesh device.

If you or someone you know has suffered injuries as a result of receiving a transvaginal mesh product, you may be entitled to compensation. The knowledgeable medical device lawyers at Moll Law Group have represented victims of defective medical devices including defective mesh throughout the nation, including in New York, California, and Florida. We are prepared to help you collect the evidence you need to bring your case and determine the course of action that will help you recover the settlement or judgment that you deserve. Call us now at 312-462-1700 or contact us online to set up your free consultation now.

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