February 6, 2015 — U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin is urging counsel to come to the table and resolve approximately 70,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits pending in his court.
After two days of intense meetings with representatives for manufacturers and plaintiffs, Judge Goodwin said he was going to “kick it into high gear and ask that you do the same.”
He warned that trials in every lawsuit would take decades, cost millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees, and put more cases in the hands of unpredictable jurors, according to Reuters.
Judge Goodwin oversees centralized litigation against seven manufacturers. He is responsible for ensuring the litigation does not drag on longer that necessary
Last year, about 10,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits filed against American Medical Systems (AMS) were settled for $400 million, or about $48,000 per plaintiff.
In the last few years, juries have handed down multi-million dollar verdicts against C.R. Bard, Ethicon, and Boston Scientific. Those three companies are facing nearly 50,000 lawsuits, but continue to resist settlements.
Last month, C.R. Bard was upset that Judge Goodwin advised settlements in the face of “potentially billions of dollars in verdicts.” Lawyers for Bard claimed his comments may have tainted the jury pool and asked for a trial delay, but Judge Goodwin refused.
Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon) claims to have evidence that lawsuits are being filed by women who were not even injured by vaginal mesh. They said settlements are impossible until frivolous claims are dismissed. Of the 22,700 lawsuits pending against Ethicon, only about 600 have been resolved.
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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