Monthly Archives: May 2015

Woman Awarded $100 Million by Jury In Mesh Lawsuit

Woman Awarded $100 Million by Jury In Mesh Lawsuit

Gilman Law LLP reports that a Delaware court jury has awarded a woman $100 million for her claims against Boston Scientific relating to the company’s transvaginal mesh inserts, a device that is the subject of more than 25,000 lawsuits against the company. The Delaware jury found that Boston Scientific’s Pinnacle and Advantage Fit inserts were negligently and defectively designed, that Boston Scientific had engaged in fraud, and that the company’s executives hid the defects from the plaintiff, who had alleged that the inserts eroded once they were implanted, causing great pain and scarring.

The jury awarded $25 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages. The jury award is the largest thus far against Boston Scientific relating its vaginal-mesh inserts, and the first since the company agreed to pay $119 million to resolve approximately 3,000 lawsuits in the first wave of settlements of claims that the inserts caused damage to various women’s organs and resulted in painful sexual
intercourse.

Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Attorneys at Gilman Law LLP Urge Victims of Pelvic Mesh Complications to Come Forward Now, As Serious Settlement Talks Reportedly Are Currently Underway

Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Attorneys at Gilman Law LLP Urge Victims of Pelvic Mesh Complications to Come Forward Now, As Serious Settlement Talks Reportedly Are Currently Underway

Women who have suffered debilitating transvaginal mesh complications following surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence are urged to seek legal advice today if they have not already done so. According to Gilman Law LLP, a leading pharmacy law and defective medical device plaintiffs’ law firm that is currently representing women in transvaginal mesh lawsuits, serious settlement talks reportedly are now underway to resolve this massive litigation. Court documents indicate that more than 75,000 transvaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed in the various litigations pending in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, including:

On June 2nd, the Court will convene a joint status conference, as well as individual meetings with six of the seven defendants – American Medical Systems, Boston Scientific, C.R. Bard, Coloplast, Cook Medical and Ethicon – with the goal of moving closer to resolution.

Transvaginal Mesh Settlements

Several defendants involved in the transvaginal mesh litigations have already reached settlements in a small number of claims. Most recently, Boston Scientific disclosed that it had resolved some 2,900 of the nearly 15,000 cases involving its pelvic mesh products. According to the company, the settlements will cost it around $119 million. In January, Ethicon announced that it had reached transvaginal mesh settlements in four cases for undisclosed amounts. The company still faces nearly 23,000 claims in state and federal courts. In March 2014, Coloplast entered into an agreement to settle 400 claims for a total of $16 million. C.R. Bard, which has been named as a defendant in more than 10,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits, announced last October that it had resolved about 500 claims for a total of $21 million, or an average of $43,000 per case. That same month, Endo International PLC, the parent company of American Medical Systems, reached an agreement to settle nearly all of the claims involving its pelvic mesh products for more than $400 million. In reaching these transvaginal mesh lawsuit settlements, none of the defendants have admitted any liability for patients’ alleged injuries.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued its first communication regarding the dangers associated with transvaginal mesh in October 2008, and followed up with a second public warning in July 2011. According to the FDA, transvaginal mesh complications following pelvic organ prolapse repair are not rare. What’s more, the agency also stated that it is “not clear that transvaginal POP repair with mesh is any more effective than traditional [transvaginal surgery without mesh] … and may expose patients to greater risk.” Women who have received these devices may be at risk for a number of very serious and painful complications, including:

  • Mesh erosion through the vaginal tissue, possibly causing the skin to split
  • Mesh extrusion and exposure.
  • Perforation or puncture of bladder, intestines, bowels, and/or vaginal wall
  • Protrusion or lump in the vaginal opening
  • Recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse
  • Recurrence of stress urinary incontinence
  • Urinary problems
  • Vaginal bleeding, pain and discomfort, chronic drainage, discharge, infections, scarring and/or shrinkage
  • Painful sexual intercourse

Gilman Law LLP is providing complimentary lawsuit consultations to women who suffered severe complications, including tremendous pain and suffering, following implantation of transvaginal mesh. For more information, please contact Gilman Law LLP today by visiting our website, www.gilmanlawllp.com, to fill out a free, no obligation case evaluation form, or call Toll Free at 1-888-252-0048.

About Gilman Law LLP

Gilman Law LLP, a leading pharmaceutical law and defective drug law firm, has been recognized for delivering successful results to their clients across a broad range of claims stemming from consumer product injury, mass tort, and class action lawsuits. For over 40 years, the Gilman Law LLP team of highly experienced lawyers has earned renown for tireless work on behalf of their clients on many of today’s most challenging and important legal issues.

Contact:
Gilman Law LLP
8951 Bonita Beach Road, S.E. Suite #525
Bonita Springs, FL 34135-4208
1-888-252-0048
kgilman@gilmanlawllp.com