On March 8, 2018, an Indianapolis federal court ruled that Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, its medical device division, were negligent in the design and warnings about its Prolift pelvic mesh and therefore, liable for the damages the plaintiff, a 69-year-old woman who had the mesh implanted in 2009, suffered as a result of using the mesh. The court ordered the company to pay $35 million in compensation, $25 million of which were punitive damages.

This was not the first defective medical device lawsuit Johnson & Johnson faced related to the Prolift pelvic mesh. Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have also ruled in favor of plaintiffs injured by the Prolift mesh in other lawsuits.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a recall for the Philips HeartStart MRx defibrillator because it contains a faulty part that can put patients at risk of serious injury and death.

The defective medical device was recalled after it was determined that a glass tube inside the defibrillator has tiny cracks that allow gases to escape and cause the device to malfunction. These cracks also allow electrical surges to cross the defibrillator's resistors, potentially damaging them and causing the device to fail while it is in automated external defibrillator (AED) mode. When the device fails in this mode, it can still be operated manually. Healthcare providers who have the defibrillator are urged to have the defective glass tube repaired to prevent patient injuries and deaths. In their uncorrected state, these defibrillators can fail at any time.

When a patient is injured by a defective medical device, he or she may seek compensation for his or her damages through a defective medical device claim. When a victim dies from a defective medical device, his or her loved ones may seek compensation for damages through a wrongful death claim.