Bellwether Trials Selected in Federal Ethicon Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Litigation

Four vaginal mesh lawsuit claims involving Ethicon products have been selected to serve as the federal litigation’s first bellwether trials, according to an Order issued on July 25th.

According to recent court documents, the first round of trials is slated to begin on January 14, 2014 in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, with the second round scheduled for May 27, 2014. (In re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair Systems Products Liability Litigation - MDL No. 2327)

As of July 2013, at least 8,460 transvaginal mesh cases involving devices manufactured by Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit were pending in the federal proceeding. These cases allege mesh erosion, chronic pain, recurrence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP), as well as infection, organ damage and other complications.

Women who have filed Ethicon mesh lawsuits claim the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary failed to provide adequate warnings about the health risks associated with its Gynecare pelvic mesh products, which were designed defectively. As a result, multiple revision surgeries may be necessary to repair damages. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 mesh lawsuit claims involving implants from not only Ethicon, but also American Medical Systems, C.R. Bard and Boston Scientific are currently pending in separate federal litigations established in the Southern District of West Virginia.

3,980 Ethicon Mesh Lawsuit Claims Pending in New Jersey Litigation as of July 2013

At the state court level, thousands of vaginal mesh lawsuits against Ethicon are continuing to move forward as well. A total of 3,980 claims were pending in the consolidated multicounty litigation established in New Jersey’s Atlantic County Superior Court as of July 13th, court records indicate. In March, the trial for the first Ethicon mesh case in this New Jersey proceeding ended with a $11 million damage award to the Plaintiff who sustained injuries from the device.

As the number of vaginal mesh lawsuits continues to rise in federal and state proceedings in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to investigate dangers associated with this class of devices. Between 2005 and 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received more than 3,800 complication reports from patients who received transvaginal mesh products.

Start the Process of Filing an Ethicon Mesh Lawsuit

If you were implanted with a transvaginal mesh implant from Ethicon’s line of Gynecare products, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Call the following number to learn more: .