On April 3, 2014 a transvaginal mesh patient was awarded $1.2 million in damages after a jury in Dallas found Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon liable for mesh defects and the plaintiff’s injuries.
Plaintiff’s attorneys argued that 64-year-old Linda Batiste suffered pelvic pain after the device eroded inside of her.
Additionally, on February 4, 2014 a judge ordered Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon to pay sanctions after finding that the company and its subsidiary did not preserve evidence in In re Ethicon, Inc. Pelvic Repair System Product Liability Litigation. This order came after the FDA received hundreds of reports from women claiming they suffered serious complications after being implanted with transvaginal mesh.
The Ethicon MDL was established in the United States District Court for the Southern Division of West Virginia, Charleston Division.
There are more than 12,000 lawsuits against J&J accusing Ethicon of making “improperly designed vaginal inserts, such as slings that damaged women’s organs and made sex painful.”
Ethicon plans to appeal the most recent verdict.
Injuries Reported Among Those with Transvaginal Mesh
In October 2008, the FDA released a “Dear Healthcare Practitioner” letter letting physicians know about complications with the surgical mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
At that time, the FDA stated it had received over 1,000 reports from nine different surgical mesh manufacturers of complications including:
• Infection
• Pain
• Urinary problems
• Erosion through vaginal epithelium
• Recurrence of prolapse and/or incontinence
The FDA said there were also reports of bladder, blood vessel, and bowel perforation. Some patients needed another surgery to correct these issues.
The FDA also released an update on surgical mesh safety concerns in July 2011. New data reported to the FDA between 2005-2007 showed “over 1,000” adverse events from mesh implantation. From January 2008 through December 2010, the FDA received 2,874 more reports of complications with mesh used to repair POP and SUI.
If you have or are suffering from a serious side effect after being implanted with a transvaginal mesh you need to contact your physician. You could also be entitled to compensation. You should call a transvaginal mesh attorney today for a free consultation.
Exclusively focused on representing plaintiffs, especially in mass tort litigation, Eric Chaffin prides himself on providing unsurpassed professional legal services in pursuit of the specific goals of his clients and their families. Both his work and his cases have been featured in the national press, including on ABC’s Good Morning America.
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