Product News and Recalls

Bellwether Cases Selected in Southern District of West Virginia

The attorneys at Lopez McHugh are actively representing women who claim to have been injured by defective transvaginal mesh products. As a result, we have been keeping a close eye on the developments of the Multidistrict Litigation (known as MDL) in the Southern District of West Virginia.

In the MDL, the court recently issued a pretrial order that has selected four cases to serve as bellwether trials. The first bellwether trial is set to begin on December 3, 2013 with the second commencing on May 6, 2014, according to the order. Bellwether trials are cases chosen as representatives in an MDL. Bellwether trials essentially function as indicators of what plaintiffs and defendants can expect in future litigation and are commonly utilized by District Courts in MDL settings.

As a result of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s safety warning regarding transvaginal mesh products in 2011, transvaginal mesh litigation has expanded dramatically. In that warning, the FDA stated that complications linked to transvaginal mesh implants are “not rare” and warned that the use of such devices may actually be more harmful compared to alternative methods for treating pelvic organ prolapse. Currently, thousands of transvaginal mesh lawsuits are pending in the MDL and in various state courts.

If you have a vaginal mesh implant, you should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns. If you have significant injuries, you should also consult with Lopez McHugh’s mesh lawyers to discuss your legal rights.