April 4, 2014 — Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been ordered to pay $1.2 million in compensatory damages to a woman who was injured by the TVT-O vaginal mesh.
The jury in Dallas, Texas agreed that TVT-O was defectively designed, and awarded plaintiff Linda Batista compensatory damages. However, they denied punitive damages after finding that J&J adequately warned about its risks.
In a statement to Bloomberg Businessweek, Ethicon communications director Matthew Johnson said, “The jury’s verdict on design defect is disappointing, and we believe we have strong grounds for appeal.”
The judgement is the latest in a series of verdicts against J&J. Last year, a jury in New Jersey awarded a woman $11.1 million for injuries caused by the Prolift. That product was taken off the market years ago — but the TVT-O continues to be implanted.
J&J is currently facing about 12,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits. The FDA has issued multiple warnings and says complications are “not rare.” The device is implanted through incisions in the vagina and anchored to the pelvis, where it supports abdominal organs like a hammock.
Unfortunately, the mesh can erode through the vaginal wall and become exposed. This complication is associated with infection, bleeding, chronic pain, scarring, inability to engage in sexual intercourse, and the need for excision surgery. Even with surgery, doctors may be unable to completely remove vaginal mesh from the body — it is designed to be a permanent implant.
Do I have a Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting vaginal mesh induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by vaginal mesh, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
