Plaintiffs in one of the largest vaginal mesh litigation movements against Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division are seeking court approval to establish multiple and consolidated trials in order to resolve the 30,000 pelvic mesh claims. The request comes after both parties appear to be no closer to reaching a transvaginal mesh lawsuit settlement agreement but desire the cases to move through the court system in a timely manner.

The Plaintiff’s Steering Committee proposed a motion that would consolidate cases based on “product-specific, geographically compatible, trial-ready cases.” The motion alleges that if the court can address the consolidated trials, they can quickly establish values for the other cases that involve Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon transvaginal mesh product.

The motion further proposed that if a settlement cannot be reached by that approach, then the process could extend its reach to include consolidated trials of different products in additional jurisdictions. Vaginal mesh plaintiffs claim that “this approach allows the largest possible number of plaintiffs to see their day in court while simultaneously moving the litigation as a whole forward toward a fair and expeditious resolution.”

The case management order comes just days after U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin, who is presiding over the mass tort, encouraged settlement discussions, suggesting that Ethicon could lose billions of dollars if every one of the 30,000 cases go to court. The other concern over the large number of pending lawsuits is that only a few thousand civil jury trials can take place each year which means it could be years, and even decades, if each case faced a jury.

Vaginal Mesh Complications

Vaginal mesh and bladder slings were designed and marketed to women who sought treatment for pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that can occur after childbirth, menopause, or undergoing a hysterectomy. However, thousands of women have reported the product caused extremely painful side effects and often had to be surgically removed.

Some of the transvaginal mesh problems that plaintiffs have reported include bladder infections, vaginal infections, painful sexual intercourse, perforated bladder, perforated bowel and blood vessels, urinary problems, and multiple occurrences of pelvic organ prolapse.

Ethicon is not the only bladder sling manufacturer under scrutiny for alleged complications. More than 50,000 other lawsuits are pending against other transvaginal mesh makers with similar claims.

Bladder Sling Lawsuits

A recent surgical mesh lawsuit case list reported that Judge Goodwin is overseeing 25,024 Ethicon cases, 16,425 Boston Scientific vaginal mesh lawsuits, 10,763 Bard Avaulta cases, 1,935 Coloplast mesh lawsuits, 299 Cook Medical cases, and 86 Neomedic vaginal mesh lawsuits. Only bladder mesh sling manufacturer Endo International has agreed to settle nearly all of the 20,000 AMS vaginal mesh lawsuits with a $1.6 billion pay out.

Transvaginal mesh attorneys seek to recover financial compensation for victims of bladder sling complications. Economic restitution can help families pay off medical bills and reimburses them for loss of work as well as the pain and suffering involved with serious complications. Spouses can also join bladder sling lawsuits as co-plaintiffs and sue for loss of consortium which often increases the settlement award.