Medical device manufacturer C.R. Bard has agreed to more than 500 vaginal mesh lawsuit settlements, according to a second quarter filing of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Bard representatives report that the company is also continuing to negotiate with other law firms over potential settlements to resolve some of the estimated 12,000 claims that involve the company’s Avaulta transvaginal mesh implant.
The lawsuits pending against Bard are part of a multidistrict litigation that has been established under Judge Joseph Goodwin in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Previously, the only vaginal mesh lawsuit settlements that had been reached as part of the litigation involved two individual claims and included a $2 million awards as well as a confidential agreement. With no further settlements in sight, 200 transvaginal mesh bellwether trials were ordered to begin in January 2015.
The complaints allege that women experienced serious and severe complications from the company’s Avaulta implant that was fitted to repair stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. Plaintiffs claim that the device is defective and has an unreasonable risk of eroding through the recipient’s vagina, causing organ perforation and other pelvic injuries.
Judge Goodwin is currently presiding over the following number of lawsuits:
- 74 Neomedic
- 213 Cook Medical
- 1,506 Coloplast
- 8,667 Bard
- 12,199 Boston Scientific
- 17,901 American Medical Systems
- 18,501 Ethicon
Recently several bellwether trials involving American Medical Systems transvaginal mesh devices were cancelled after Endo Health Systems reportedly reached an $830 million agreement to settle the most of the 18,000 claims in its MDL. In March 2014, Coloplast reached a $16 million settlement to resolve 400 lawsuits, and the manufacturer most recently came to an agreement in June 2014 to resolve 1,500 claims.
Covidien, another medical device manufacturer, has announced that is taking a $180 million charge in its third quarter of 2014 as a result of costs associated with transvaginal mesh lawsuits involving several devices that it supplied to other companies. According to a July 11 report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, two Covidien subsidiaries supplied transvaginal mesh devices to an unnamed manufacturer, and Covidien is indemnifying that company.
What is Transvaginal Mesh?
Transvaginal mesh implants are used to correct a condition known as pelvic organ prolapse that occurs when the woman’s bladder or reproductive organs fall into her vagina due to a weakened pelvic floor. POP is common in older women and among women who have had repeated pregnancies and childbirths. For years, surgeons have used plastic mesh devices to treat the condition while strengthening the pelvic wall.
However, in the past several years, women have allegedly suffered complications after the received the devices, and many complained of mesh erosion and a punctured uterus. As a result, women throughout the U.S. are pursuing claims against several transvaginal mesh manufacturers, accusing the companies of failing to warn of the potential transvaginal mesh risks and neglecting to adequately test the products prior to placing them on the market. Medical device manufacturers that have been named as defendants include:
- C.R. Bard
- Johnson & Johnson/Ethicon
- Coloplast
- Boston Scientific Corporation
- American Medical Systems
Do You Believe You Have a Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit?
If you or someone you love was fitted with a transvaginal mesh device and you suffered from complications such as infection, mesh erosion, or organ puncture, you may be eligible to file a vaginal mesh lawsuit and seek compensation for your injuries. To learn more about the legal process and to receive a free case evaluation, please contact Attorney Group today. We can help answer your questions and connect you with a local affiliated attorney who can file your vaginal mesh lawsuit on your behalf and assist you in seeking damages to which you may be entitled.
