Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Filed in Canada Seeks $5 Million for Recipient of Ethicon Gynecare Device

Ethicon Gynecare mesh lawsuit filings continue to mount in U.S. courts and elsewhere. According to a report from FierceMedicalDevices.com, a woman from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its Ethicon Inc. unit for injuries she claims were caused by the Gynecare Tension Free Vaginal Tape-Obturator sling.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, the plaintiff received the Ethicon mesh device in March 2008 to treat a bladder prolapse condition. But almost immediately, she began experiencing pain in her pelvic region. She alleges that the defendants knew or ought to have known the device was capable of causing serious personal injury, and holds them responsible for the pain, hospitalizations, additional surgeries and permanent injuries she has had to endure.

“The plaintiff … pleads that the defendants have conducted themselves in a high-handed, wanton and reprehensible manner, which warrants the awarding of punitive and/or exemplary damages,” the lawsuit states.

Ethicon Gynecare Mesh Sales Ended

Ethicon Gynecare mesh products are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence in woman. Since 2008, transvaginal mesh products like those marketed by Ethicon have been the subject of two U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) safety alerts regarding the high rate of serious complications associated with the devices. Since then, tens of thousands of women have filed mesh lawsuits against Ethicon and other device manufacturers seeking compensation for their pain and suffering.

In June 2012, Ethicon announced it would end sales of some of its Gynecare products, including the Prolift, Prolift+ M, TVT Secur and Prosima surgical meshes, due to concerns about their commercial viability. The company refused to characterize the move as a mesh recall, and maintains the decision was not motivated by safety concerns.

So far, one Ethicon mesh lawsuit has gone to trial, resulting in a win for the plaintiff. In March, the New Jersey Superior Court jury hearing the case concluded that Ethicon failed to warn patients about the risks associated with the Gynecare Prolift device, and awarded the plaintiff more than $11 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

Attorneys Now Evaluating Ethicon Mesh Lawsuits

Women who suffered mesh erosion, scarring, infection, chronic pain or other complications associated with an Ethicon mesh device may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about filing a transvaginal mesh lawsuit, please call Bernstein Liebhard today at 888-993-3877.