June 14, 2013 — A panel of federal judges will centralize 13 vaginal mesh lawsuits against Cook Medical into a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL). All future lawsuits will be transferred here. The litigation will be overseen by Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. He is currently presiding over 13,000 lawsuits in five other MDLs against other manufacturers of vaginal mesh: Johnson & Johnson / Ethicon, Coloplast, American Medical Systems, Boston Scientific, and C.R. Bard.
In February, the plaintiffs originally requested an MDL for 42 lawsuits. Most of those have been transferred to other MDLs or dismissed. The 13 remaining lawsuits all allege that Cook Medical created defective products that caused women to suffer injuries.
The products in question include the Surgisis Biodesign, Stratasis Urethral Slings, and more. These implants are designed to help support and reinforce weakened muscles in a woman’s pelvic floor, which treats Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP).
Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received thousands of complaints from women whose vaginal mesh eroded into their body, caused urinary problems, chronic pain, disfigurement, and required additional surgery. Although the FDA issued several warnings, most of the products were not recalled.
Cook Medical has defended the safety of the Surgisis and Stratasis, which are both made from biological material (pig intestine), unlike synthetic implants made from polypropylene. Unfortunately, some studies have found that biological implants can increase the risk of certain side effects because they are weaker than synthetic implants.
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.
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