Four Vaginal Mesh Bellwether Trials Selected by Federal Court

Four bellwether vaginal mesh lawsuits were selected to move forward earlier this month to address complications from vaginal mesh products such as bladder slings and pelvic sling implants.

The cases were selected by the District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia with regard to the Avaulta vaginal mesh products made by C.R. Bard Inc. The first trial is set to begin on June 11, 2013.

Bellwether cases are selected to determine how similar vaginal mesh implant lawsuits might turn out. It’s a chance to see how juries will respond to claims when there are a large number of lawsuits with similar complaints.

Vaginal mesh slings are inserted into the pelvic region to help support organs that have shifted because of weakened or stretched muscles, usually as a result of childbirth.

There have been a growing number of vaginal mesh lawsuits since 2011, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning concerning a five-fold increase in vaginal mesh injuries. Since that initial warning, the frequency of vaginal mesh injuries had increased even more.

The FDA found that vaginal mesh implant injuries as a result of pelvic organ prolapse were not rare as they had originally reported. The most common complications suffered as a result of transvaginal mesh products are mesh erosion through vaginal tissue, infection, pain, urinary problems, and recurrence of prolapse. There were also injuries reported that occurred while the vaginal mesh was inserted, including bowel, bladder, and blood vessel perforation or puncture.

Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit and C.R. Bard are currently undergoing legal proceedings as a result of more than a thousand vaginal mesh lawsuits in a consolidated trial in New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic City.

A major decision has already been made regarding a bladder sling implant lawsuit earlier this year. On February 25, it was decided in the same New Jersey Superior court that a South Dakota woman should be awarded $3.35 million by Johnson & Johnson because they did not properly warn her doctor of the possible dangers of the vaginal mesh sling that was made by the Johnson & Johnson Ethicon unit. She was also awarded $7.76 million in punitive damages.

If you or someone you know has had similar side effects or symptoms caused by a transvaginal mesh, bladder sling or vagina sling implant, legal options are available to you. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Vaginal Mesh Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not a vaginal mesh implant may be playing a role in your current pain, discomfort or other serious side effects, so act now.