Lawsuits have been filed by women who needed surgery when their Filshie Clip birth control implant moved out of position, migrated, broke, or caused other problems.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Filshie Clip induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured or needed surgery for problems with a Filshie Clip birth control device, 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.
Filshie Clip Lawsuit Filed by 11 Women Who Needed Surgery
In April 2023, a Filshie Clip lawsuit was filed by 11 women who claim they were seriously injured by the birth control device. The lawsuit claims that Filshie Clips can wreak “havoc on the female body” and “pose a significant health risk” because they frequently move out of position. When this happens, women may experience pain and other complications that require surgery or a hysterectomy.
What is the Problem?
The Filshie Clip was advertised as a quick and easy alternative to traditional tubal ligation surgery (or “getting your tubes tied”), which is a popular way for women to permanently prevent pregnancy.
Since the device was approved in September 1996, over 10,000 women have been sterilized with Filshie Clips. Unfortunately, many of these women suffered serious health problems or needed surgery when the clips moved out of position (migrated), broke, or caused other complications.
In some cases, women said they needed multiple surgeries to remove the clips, undergo surgery to remove the uterus and reproductive organs (hysterectomy) and repair damage to their internal tissues.
Filshie Clip Migration
The Filshie Clip is supposed to pinch off the fallopian tubes and cause scar-tissue growth that prevents pregnancy. Instead, lawsuits claim that the Filshie Clip can dissolve the fallopian tubes and move out of position, or migrate in the body. This can cause many serious health problems, such as organ damage to the uterus, bladder, vagina, rectum and pelvic tissues. There are many case reports of women who needed surgery when their Filshie Clips moved.
Lawsuit Claims Filshie Clips Migrate in 25% of Patients
Lawsuits claim that the clips migrate in 25% of patients, which is 200-times higher than the 0.13% migration-rate that the manufacturer reported to the FDA before the clips were approved back in 1996.
Filshie Clip Lawsuit Filed by Woman Who Needed Hysterectomy
In March 2023, a judge allowed a Filshie Clip lawsuit to proceed against CooperSurgical and Femcare Ltd., after determining that the lawsuit was not preempted by federal law.
The lawsuit was filed in Alabama by Jackie M. And her husband. They claim that the manufacturers did not warn them that the Filshie Clips frequently migrate to other parts of the body, or cause other complications.
She claims that she required surgery when her Filshie Clips migrated from their original position. Even after the clips were removed, she continued to experience problems. She ultimately needed to undergo a full hysterectomy.
In her lawsuit, she alleges that migration “was not an anomaly, as it was occurring in over 25% of patients.” Despite this high rate of migration, the manufacturers did not warn patients about the frequency of Filshie Clip migrations or the risk of permanent injuries.
The Filshie Clip Lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (Southern Division) — Case Number 1:22-cv-54-RAH.
What is the Filshie Clip?
The Filshie Clip® is a silicone-lined, titanium birth control device that is used to prevent pregnancy. It is implanted during a minimally-invasive (laparoscopic) surgery that usually takes about 30 minutes.
How Does It Work?
During the procedure, a doctors snaps the clip onto the woman’s fallopian tubes, which closes the tube and blocks the fertilization of egg and sperm. Over time, the clips also cause scar-tissue growth that is supposed to block the fallopian tubes permanently.
What is the Risk?
- Severe pain
- Clip migration (moves out of position)
- Clip breaks or fractures
- Clip embeds in the uterus or other tissues
- Organ damage
- Abscess formation
- Groin hernias
- Needing surgery to remove clips
- Hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus)
- Sepsis
- And more
Case Report of Filshie Clip Migration and Bladder Abscess
In 2020, doctors published a case report of a 52-year-old woman whose Filshie Clip migrated into her bladder and caused an abscess. The complication occurred about 12 years after her Filshie Clips were implanted. The doctors warned, “Women should be counselled regarding the significant risk of clip migration (up to 25%).”
Do I have a Filshie Clip Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Filshie Clip induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured or needed surgery for problems with a Filshie Clip birth control device, 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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