While vaginal mesh products are advertised as treatments for urinary incontinence and pelvic floor prolapse, reports point to design defects.

As a result, there are now thousands of vaginal mesh lawsuits pending trial in federal courts across the United States lodging allegations against various vaginal sling manufacturers.

However, C.R. Bard (the makers of the bladder sling Avaulta Mesh) has begun settling several vaginal mesh lawsuits against them, with reports stating that the Bard vaginal mesh settlement deals have an average rate of $67,000 per case.

Bard has agreed to settle almost 3,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits filed against the medical device manufacturer by women who claim the transvaginal mesh systems caused them to suffer perforation in their pelvic floor as well as sustaining other damages to the tissue surrounding the mesh.

Although one woman won a $2 million vaginal mesh verdict in 2014, it is expected that the majority of plaintiffs represented in these transvaginal mesh lawsuits will take the proposed Bard settlements rather than continue with further litigation.

Bard’s recent decision to settle can be partially attributed to U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin’s recommendation that the company begin to settle the thousands of cases against them rather than fight each one in court, especially considering that jury verdicts in these kind of personal injury lawsuits tend to run as high as nine figures.

Bard Avaulta Mesh Allegations

The vaginal mesh lawsuits filed against Bard similarly allege that the company’s Avaulta vaginal mesh system tends to shrink after implantation, causing the medical device to not fit well in the surgical area and ultimately leads to aggravation of surrounding tissues.
In July 2014, Bard filed a Q2 report with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, stating that the company had specifically set aside $660 million for “Women’s Health Products” litigation. According to recent reports, 2,800 transvaginal mesh settlements have been recorded in Bard’s books; however, it is important to note that the nearly 3,000 settled cases only represent about a third of vaginal mesh lawsuits against Bard that require resolution.

Despite settling these vaginal mesh lawsuits, Bard maintains that their vaginal sling products are safe and effective. The company plans to continue offering settlements to plaintiffs awaiting compensation in this ongoing vaginal mesh litigation.

Vaginal Mesh Complications

Bard is not the only vaginal sling manufacturer to receive complaints of device failure. According to court filings, thousands of women have sustained personal injuries after using several different types of brand name vaginal mesh products.

Often, the alleged vaginal mesh defects require a patient to undergo painful revision surgery, and even then they may still suffer from permanent damages and injuries caused by the pelvic mesh product.

A vaginal mesh or bladder sling system is implanted into a woman’s body by sewing the medical device into the vagina, as they are designed to strengthen the surrounding muscles, muscles that tend to weaken after childbirth. However, according to pelvic mesh lawsuits, the materials used to manufacture the mesh are allegedly not safe for long-term use inside the human body and tend to shrink overtime.

Additionally, because of the surgical method used to implant the vaginal mesh system, a woman is required to undergo several surgeries to remove the defective product from her body if the device fails.