Third Bellwether Trial Set for AMS Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits

American Medical Systems (AMS), maker of popular vaginal mesh implant products, recently had a third bellwether trial set for them by the presiding U.S. district court judge that’s currently overseeing all federal vaginal mesh lawsuits in the United States. The third AMS bellwether trial is scheduled to go before a jury in August 2014.

As of now, there are over 35,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits filed throughout the U.S. federal court system. Each complaint involves the same allegations: internal complications arising after surgical insertion of a vaginal mesh used to repair pelvic organ prolapse and bladder slings that are meant to fix female stress urinary continuance (SUI).

The following manufacturers are at the center of the vaginal mesh litigation: American Medical Systems (AMS), C.R. Bard, Boston Scientific, Coloplast Corp., Cook Medical, and Ethicon.

A total of six multidistrict litigations (MDL), one for each manufacturer, has been created to reduce the chances of duplicative discovery and avoid conflicting rulings. All pretrial proceedings for the vaginal mesh lawsuits are set to take place under U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia.

In each of the vaginal mesh MDLs, there is a series of bellwether cases scheduled to take place. These cases will help the parties on each side gauge the feedback that they will receive from juries with regards to presented evidence and testimonies. So far, seven different cases are scheduled to go before juries this year: 3 trials for Ethicon and two each for AMS and Boston Scientific.

In November 2013, Judge Goodwin issued an Order stating that the third bellwether trial against AMS will take place before a jury on Aug. 19, 2014. This trial will be selected from a pool of pelvic organ prolapse cases that were previously filed before Jan. 1, 2013 and are still undergoing discovery.

In January 2014, the parties were supposed to pick two cases that will be eligible for the first trial date in August. This decision is expected to be made by the court by May 2014.

Help for Victims of Vaginal Mesh Complications

If you had revision surgery to repair damage caused by vaginal mesh, or you have surgery scheduled, you may be able to take legal action against the device manufacturer. These companies have already paid out millions of dollars in vaginal mesh lawsuit settlements and are continuing to settle cases. Don’t delay – see if you qualify to pursue compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages by filling out the short form at the Transvaginal Mesh, Bladder Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.