A vaginal mesh lawsuit filed by an Alabama woman joins the growing multidistrict litigation centralized in West Virginia.

Plaintiff Barbara C. is accusing Johnson & Johnson, as well as its subsidiary Ethicon Inc., of failing to warn that its transvaginal mesh product could cause personal injuries.

Barbara claims that she had the TVT-Obturator (TVT-O) implanted in 2004 only to suffer physical and emotional distress due to vaginal mesh side effects. 

The transvaginal mesh lawsuit is suing over allegations of fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment.

Vaginal Mesh Complications

Vaginal mesh products, otherwise known as a bladder sling, were designed and marketed to women who suffer from stress urinary incontinence (SUI) as well as pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Both of these medical conditions can develop after childbirth, hysterectomy or menopause.

Suffering from pelvic organ prolapse means the pelvic muscles have weakened to the point that the bladder or uterus can drop into the vagina. While physicians can surgically insert vaginal mesh, its easier and less invasive to implant the mesh through the vagina.

Pelvic mesh was originally advertised as a discreet way to treat pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence, but thousands of patients have reported transvaginal mesh problems so severe that the implant had to be surgically removed.

Bladder sling complications reported by plaintiffs include:

• Bladder infections
• Vaginal infections
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Perforated bladder
• Urinary problems
• Perforated bowel
• Perforated blood vessels
• Multiple occurrences of pelvic organ prolapse

Between 2005 and 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received 4,000 reports of transvaginal mesh complications. The FDA announced in 2011 that vaginal mesh problems should not be considered a rare side effect of the implant.

According to medical experts, organ perforation is the most serious complication that occurs with surgical mesh device failure. Organ perforation can lead to septic shock if urine or excrement leaks into the bloodstream.

Vaginal Mesh Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

About 70,000 surgical mesh lawsuits have been filed in the multidistrict litigation centralized in West Virginia. In general, these lawsuits all have similar claims of device failure, organ perforation and other severe transvaginal mesh side effects.

Women who file vaginal mesh lawsuits are seeking financial compensation to help pay for medical bills, missed work, as well as for the pain and suffering they have endured.

Recent bladder sling lawsuit outcomes have awarded plaintiffs millions of dollars in financial award for physical and emotional damages. Spouses typically join surgical mesh lawsuits in order to sue for loss of consortium.

Families who lost a loved one due to vaginal mesh complications may also file a wrongful death lawsuit. Contact a vaginal mesh attorney to find out if you have legal claim.

The Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-14688, part of the MDL In Re: Ethicon Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Charleston Division.