Transvaginal Mesh Litigation – MDL, Class Action & Mass Tort Lawsuits

Transvaginal Mesh Litigation – MDL, Class Action & Mass Tort Lawsuits

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING CASES FOR TRANSVAGINAL MESH LITIGATION – MDL, CLASS ACTION & MASS TORT LAWSUITS

While it is true that women who have been severely harmed by transvaginal mesh devices have the opportunity to seek substantial sums in terms of punitive and compensatory damages, such financial recovery is never going to be able to restore their lives to what they were prior to being implanted with defective products.

Crippling pain, risky revision surgery, reduced quality of life and even damaged marital relationships are a few of the lasting consequences of surgical mesh procedures. With decades of experience fighting on behalf of those injured by the negligence of device manufacturers, The Sanders Firm stands ready to pursue every dollar of available compensation through transvaginal mesh litigation. We know what it takes to hold the responsible corporate giants accountable for the harm inflicted on unsuspecting consumers.

Touted as safe and effective treatment for conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, mesh patches, vaginal slings and other similar devices have produced an onslaught of product liability litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country.

Well over 50,000 plaintiffs have come forward in recent years, alleging that injuries such as organ perforation, painful intercourse, dangerous infections and scarring are all the result of having received one of these implants. The product liability lawyers of The Sanders Firm understand how debilitating these effects have been for so many and are committed to fighting in any venue, anywhere in the country in order to secure justice.

To date, multiple manufacturers have ceased sales and production of certain mesh products alleged to be dangerous, including four distinct Gynecare mesh products from Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson and the Avaulta Plus system from C.R. Bard. Even with adverse event reports approaching 4,000 in number and increasing calls for action by consumer protection groups, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue a formal product recall.

So far, the agency has only voiced questions as to the safety and usefulness of these devices in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse and discussed the risk of serious complications they appear to pose.

Trajectory of transvaginal mesh litigation

With multiple bellwether trials approaching through the spring and summer of 2014, the direction of settlement discussions is likely to start taking shape. Media reports have suggested that no less than five mesh device manufacturers are seriously investigating the possibility of reaching large-scale settlements in MDLs as well as with state court plaintiffs. Observers have suggested that the aggregate dollar amounts of settlements in transvaginal mesh cases could reach into the billions.

 

Coordinated pelvic mesh litigation

Transvaginal mesh cases have proceeded along several distinct lines, which include:

  • Individual complaints – These are product liability lawsuits based on allegations that a medical device was defective, and are filed in either state or federal courts.
  • Multidistrict litigation (MDL) – In these consolidations, civil cases are transferred from jurisdictions around the country to a single district court in an attempt to achieve certain pre-trial efficiencies. All transferred cases must be marked by common fact questions, and they will be overseen by a designated federal judge. The aim of such consolidation is to preserve judicial resources, eliminate redundancies in the fact-finding process and prevent inconsistencies in rulings. An MDL permits for “tag-along” cases to be added to the litigation at later points in time. A judge in an MDL has the ability to dismiss certain counts in any transvaginal mesh lawsuit, but if a case is not dismissed or a settlement is not reached, it can be remanded to its court of origin for trial.
  • Multi-county litigation (MCL) – This type of litigation does not differ significantly in purpose or intent from a federal MDL, it simply occurs at the state level. Common complaints against the same defendants are grouped together to achieve judicial efficiency, streamlined proceedings and consistent rulings. A given judge will oversee the cases and can dismiss claims as appropriate. Just as in a federal MDL, representative “bellwether” cases will be scheduled as a means to asses how juries are likely to respond to evidence and testimony likely to be common in the remaining trials. This tends to facilitate settlement discussions and promote expedited resolution of numerous cases.
  • Class action lawsuits – This type of litigation permits multiple plaintiffs to band together and make the same allegations against a common defendant. A lead plaintiff or class representative will stand in the place of all members of the group, and any jury award or settlement amount will be divided among the full class. A class action is not customarily pursued in medical device injury cases, given the unique and personal nature of the injuries often alleged. Class action litigation is beneficial to certain plaintiffs, because it can be less expensive in the short term, but the eventual damage awards tend to be much smaller than they might otherwise have been, particularly when the plaintiff class is large.

The Sanders Firm attorneys have been involved in every type of litigation described, and have built an impressive record of achieving substantial settlements and jury awards for injured plaintiffs across the country. Our network of medical experts, researchers, investigators and support staff enable us to successfully do battle with some of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world.

Current state of transvaginal mesh lawsuits

To date, 8 multidistrict litigations have been established to handle tens of thousands of lawsuits against multiple vaginal mesh manufacturers, and seven of them are taking place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia under the oversight of Judge Joseph R. Goodwin:

  • MDL No. 2325 American Medical Systems (AMS), Inc.
  • MDL No. 2187 C.R. Bard, Inc.
  • MDL No. 2326 Boston Scientific, Inc.
  • MDL No. 2327 Ethicon, Inc.
  • MDL No. 2387 Coloplast Corporation
  • MDL No. 2440 Cook Medical, Inc.
  • MDL No. 2511 Neomedic

The eighth multidistrict litigation involves the ObTape vaginal sling manufactured by Mentor Corporation, and is centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, under the auspices of Judge Clay D. Land.

Transvaginal mesh litigation has also been consolidated in the state of New Jersey for cases involving C.R. Bard and Ethicon/J & J.

Cases have been proceeding with many having already reached trial:

  • In 2012, a California plaintiff in state court received a $5.5 million award in a suit against C.R. Bard pertaining to its Avaulta Plus system.
  • In early 2014, a New Jersey state court awarded an injured plaintiff $11.1 million in her lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson/Ethicon
  • April of 2014 witnessed an award of $1.2 million handed down by a Texas jury in a case against Johnson & Johnson for harm done by its Gynecare Prolift products.

At The Sanders Law Firm, Success Is A Tradition

Founded in 1967, The Sanders Law Firm has flourished into one of New York’s most successful personal injury practices, with an accomplished team of attorneys, paralegals, health care consultants, and support staff. Our trial attorneys take new cases on a contingency basis, which means there is no cost to the client unless we secure monetary damages on your behalf.

Our personal injury law firm continues to make its industry-leading legal services even better, and hire attorneys and staff that enable us to serve a more diverse population.

At The Sanders Firm, there is never any charge to evaluate your case. We have helped thousands of injured clients throughout New York City, Long Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, and we’re prepared to help you too. In just the last five years we have procured over $100 million dollars on behalf of our clients, thanks to our vast resources and experienced attorneys. Our personal injury law firm continues to make its industry-leading legal services even better, and hire attorneys and staff that enable us to serve a more diverse population.

To set up your free, no-obligation case review with a New York personal injury lawyer, please call (516) 591-3208 or contact us using our online form. Our friendly staff is standing by to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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The Sanders Law Firm is a New York personal injury practice with offices in Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.