An award of $20 million against defendant Johnson & Johnson was announced Friday, April 28^th in a Pennsylvania state courtroom.

Suffering plaintiff Peggy E. will receive a vaginal mesh verdict that consists of $2.5 million in compensatory damages and $17.5 million in punitive damages.

Device Failure Led to Vaginal Mesh Verdict

In 2007, Peggy was implanted with a TVT-Secur vaginal mesh made by Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

The device was supposed to provide relief from stress urinary incontinence, which causes urine to leak when a woman coughs, sneezes or exercises. Within 30 days of implantation, her stress urinary incontinence symptoms returned.

Her doctors tried three different surgeries to remove the vaginal mesh. The material allegedly eroded to the extent that not all of it could be retrieved.

The vaginal mesh verdict was justified because Peggy now suffers from chronic vaginal pain, pelvic floor spasms and permanent urinary problems.

Vaginal Mesh Verdict Partly Based on Design Defect

Women are winning the battles against Ethicon vaginal mesh in the courtrooms. Two other women have seen vaginal mesh verdicts of more than $12 million each in Philadelphia.

The vaginal mesh decision was partly based upon the fact that the mesh will erode after a short period of time. The erosion can be a result of the mesh hardening because it consists of plastic that can become hard and brittle after implantation.

The erosion leads to the mesh breaking up into pieces. These tiny fragments can have sharp edges that cut vaginal tissue or become embedded in other organs.

When the broken pieces of mesh become entangled with other organs, multiple surgeries can be needed in attempts to remove all of it.

If the mesh hardens but does not break into pieces, the hardened material can still cause pain, infection, tissue damage and nerve damage because the muscles of the vaginal walls are always expanding and contracting.

Symptoms of mesh hardening include pelvic and vaginal pain, painful intercourse, pain or difficulty urinating, bleeding, repeated vaginal infections.

The mesh is most often surgically removed if it has hardened, but if it has done damage to other organs or the vaginal wall, subsequent surgeries might be needed.

The mesh might need to be replaced with a new, improved mesh because otherwise, the original issues will return once the problematic mesh is removed.

If you or someone you love could benefit from a similar vaginal mesh verdict, talk to a lawyer today to learn how you can qualify to receive compensation.

The Vaginal Mesh Verdict is from Case no. 140305384 in the Court of Common Pleas of the State of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia.