Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $35 Million in Damages to Victims Who Suffered from Using Pelvic Mesh

 Posted on March 18, 2018 in Defective Medical Product

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.

Complications of Pelvic Meshes

Pelvic meshes, also known as transvaginal meshes, are medical devices that are surgically implanted in the pelvis to control the effects of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Although this device is meant to improve the patient's quality of life by providing support for weakened pelvic floor muscles, it can actually put the patient at risk of experiencing the following:

• Bleeding;
• Chronic pain;
• Organ perforation;
• Mesh erosion;
• Pain during sex;
• Infection; and
• Urinary complications.

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement that pelvic meshes increase a patient's risk of facing the above complications without experiencing an improved quality of life. In 2012, Johnson & Johnson recalled the Prolift pelvic mesh. Currently, pelvic meshes are classified as high-risk devices by the FDA.

Other Defective Medical Device Lawsuits Filed for Pelvic Mesh Damages

Other settlements for damages related to the faulty Prolift pelvic mesh include:

• $15 million in the Hrymoc case, which was resolved in New Jersey in December 2017;
• $2.16 million in the Beltz case, which was resolved in Philadelphia in May 2017; and
• $12.5 million in the Hammons case, which was resolved in Philadelphia in December 2015.

If you were injured because of a pelvic mesh implant, you have the right to pursue compensation for your damages through a defective medical device claim. This compensation can cover your medical bills for corrective treatment, the wages you could not earn because of your injury, and any pain and suffering damages you are facing.

Work with an Experienced Fox River Grove Defective Medical Device Lawyer

A poorly designed or defective medical device can cause you to suffer severe pain and in some cases, a worsened health condition or even a new condition. When you face financial damages because of your illness or injury related to a defective medical device, you deserve to recover compensation for your damages from the negligent party. To learn more, contact our team of experienced personal injury lawyers at Newland & Newland, LLP today to set up your initial legal consultation in our office. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Piron Guillaume)