November 20, 2014 — Four women who were injured by Boston Scientific’s Obtryx Mid-Urethral Sling, a type of vaginal mesh, have been awarded $18.5 million by a federal jury in West Virginia, according to Law360.
The plaintiffs include Jacquelyn Tyree, Carol Sue Campbell, Jeanie Blankenship and Chris Rene Wilson. Each woman was awarded $1 million in punitive damages and compensation ranging from $3.25 million to $4.25 million.
After a 10-day trial, the jury found Boston Scientific guilty of “gross negligence” for failing to warn about safety risks of the Obtryx. The device was made of polypropylene, a plastic that should not be permanently implanted in the human body. The women were severely injured when the mesh eroded into nearby tissues, causing chronic pain, nerve damage, organ damage, infection, and more.
This is just the latest in a string of losses for Boston Scientific. Last week, they were ordered to pay $26.7 million by a jury in Florida. The lawsuit was filed by four women who were injured by the Pinnacle mesh implant, which was pulled off the market in 2011. No punitive damages were awarded.
Two months ago, Boston Scientific was ordered to pay $73 million to one woman who was injured by the Obtryx mesh. However, the award was cut to $34 million under Texas state laws capping punitive damage awards.
Boston Scientific is facing about 24,000 similar lawsuits, most of which have been centralized in federal court in West Virginia. In total, about 60,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed against seven manufacturers of the implants. The litigation has grown rapidly since 2011, when the FDA warned that serious complications were “not rare.”
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 Boston Scientific’s Obtryx, 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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