Boston Scientific Corp. has been ordered to pay $100 million to a Delaware woman who claims the company’s transvaginal mesh implants caused her chronic pain and left her unable to have sex. According to Bloomberg, this marks the first verdict returned following Boston Scientific’s agreement to settle 3,000 transvaginal mesh lawsuits.
Transvaginal mesh implants are intended to treat urinary incontinence and organ prolapse in women. Unfortunately, the devices are allegedly defective and dangerous to the women who use them. Plaintiffs in transvaginal mesh lawsuits claim that their transvaginal mesh implants can lead to horrific and sometimes untreatable side effects, including severe pain, organ erosion, bleeding, infection, nerve damage, and sexual dysfunction.
According to the Delaware plaintiff, Boston Scientific’s Pinnacle and Advantage Fit transvaginal mesh implants eroded once they were surgically implanted, causing vaginal scarring and other serious medical problems. A state-court jury sided with the plaintiff, stating that the Boston Scientific transvaginal mesh implants were defectively designed and that the company concealed information about the device’s flaws. Bloomberg reports that the jury also found Boston Scientific guilty of fraud for failing to warn doctors of the risks posed by its transvaginal mesh implant.
Boston Scientific is not the only company to come under legal fire for defectively designed implants. Johnson & Johnson has also been busy settling transvaginal mesh lawsuits. Roughly half of the nation’s 70,000 pending transvaginal mesh lawsuits concern Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit. In March of this year, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $5.7 million in damages to a California woman who claimed she suffered when a defective transvaginal mesh implant eroded inside her.
If you received a vaginal mesh implant and suffered one of the injuries above, contact the vaginal mesh lawyers at Lopez McHugh to discuss your legal options. We have female attorneys available to discuss your personal situation and answer your legal questions. Your vaginal mesh consultation is free and there is no obligation to you.