Johnson & Johnson To Pay $5.7 Million in Abbrevo Bladder Mesh Lawsuit, The Oliver Law Group Comments
Detroit, MI (PRWEB) March 09, 2015 -- The Oliver Law Group P.C., is currently representing clients in bladder mesh lawsuits and commends a California state court jury verdict that requires Johnson & Johnson to pay $5.7 million to a woman whose Abbrevo transvaginal mesh implant eroded inside of her and forced her to have surgery to remove part of it. According to court documents, the jury hearing the case in the Kern County Superior Court (Case No.1500-cv-279123) found that Johnson & Johnson’s Abbrevo vaginal mesh sling was defectively designed and Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, failed to properly warn doctors and their patients about the risks associated with the medical devices. Although the California mesh lawsuit has been resolved, court documents indicate that Ethicon still faces over 23,500 vaginal mesh cases in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. The mesh lawsuits are filed on behalf of women who had the vaginal mesh implanted to treat pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence and allege that the device is defectively designed and causes such side-effects as mesh erosion, vaginal bleeding, vaginal scarring and chronic pain. (In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL -2327) The Oliver Law Group P.C. represents women and men nationwide who have been harmed by defective medical devices and other defective products.
[bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-05/j-j-ordered-to-pay-5-7-million-over-incontinence-implant, March 5, 2015]
“This is the first case involving the Abbrevo incontinence device which has been on the market since 2010,” says The Oliver Law Group P.C. “We are pleased that the jury found Johnson & Johnson mishandled the device and ordered the company to pay $5 million in punitive damages, and $700,000 in compensatory damages. While Johnson & Johnson still sells the Abbrevo bladder mesh sling, the company voluntarily stopped selling four lines of mesh devices after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012, ordered surgical mesh manufacturers to study the risks of their products. Three years later, health risks are still associated with bladder mesh devices and Thursday’s jury verdict confirms this issue.” The Oliver Law Group
Court documents show that more than 70,500 bladder mesh lawsuits are pending against bladder mesh manufacturers in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. The mesh lawsuits are consolidated in the federal court for pretrial proceedings. In addition to Ethicon, the litigation includes:
• In re: American Medical Systems, Inc., Pelvic Repair Systems Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2325)
• In re: Boston Scientific Corp., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2326);
• n Re C. R. Bard, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2187)
• In Re: Coloplast Corp. Pelvic Support System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2387)
• In Re Cook Medical, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2440)
The firm further notes that “Thursday’s $5.7 million award is the second largest verdict against Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit in the past two years. In 2013, an Atlantic County Superior Court jury in New Jersey ordered Ethicon to pay $11 million ($7.76 million in punitive damages and $3.35 million in compensatory damages) to a woman who used the Gynecare Prolift device.(Atl-L-6966-10) A Dallas County, Texas jury awarded $1.2 million in compensatory damage in April 2014 to a woman who said she suffered injuries from Ethicon Inc.’s TVT-O Mesh Sling. (Case No. 12-14350, District Court for the 95th Judicial District, Dallas County, Texas) In September 2014, a West Virginia federal court jury ordered Ethicon to pay $3.27 million in another case involving the TVT-O sling. (Case No. 12-5201, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia)
The FDA issued warnings in October 2008 and July 2011 over transvaginal mesh devices that are used to repair pelvic organ prolapse and to treat stress urinary incontinence in women. Due to the mounting complaints, the FDA proposed in April 2014 to reclassify the surgical mesh devices from a moderate-risk device to a high-risk device and required manufacturers to submit a premarket approval application that shows the safety and effectiveness of the medical device. The Oliver Law Firm P.C. notes that the FDA ordered mesh manufacturers to go through the same application process as companies seeking approval to sell products for the first time on the U.S. market.
[fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm262435.htm, July 13, 2011]
[fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm395192.htm, April 29, 2014]
About The Oliver Law Group P.C. And Filing A Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit
The Oliver Law Group P.C. is a different kind of law firm. One that focuses on the needs of the injured first. A compassionate law firm dedicated to fighting for the rights of victims and their families, and doing everything necessary to ensure those rights.
The experience of a large firm. The 1-on-1 dedication of a small firm. A reputation built on trust.
Experience. Dedication. Trust. The Oliver Law Group P.C.
If you would like to learn more about filing a vaginal mesh lawsuit, turn to the law firm with the Experience, Dedication, and Trust you deserve. Contact The Oliver Law Group P.C. for your free case review by calling toll free 800-939-7878 today.
Alyson Oliver, The Oliver Law Group, http://www.legalactionnow.com, +1 800-939-7878, [email protected]
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