New Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Filed in Coloplast MDL

A new vaginal mesh lawsuit has been filed against Coloplast Corp. and Mentor Worldwide LLC. Plaintiff Robin R. Banks filed the lawsuit on July 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. She intends to join the vaginal mesh multidistrict litigation (MDL) that is currently pending in the federal court.

Many Women Report Significant Vaginal Mesh Complications

Banks was implanted with a Coloplast vaginal mesh sling on April 19, 2005 in the Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio. A vaginal mesh sling is a synthetic device that is used to treat stress urinary incontinence in women. After suffering serious complications from the vaginal sling implant, Banks filed this vaginal mesh lawsuit accusing Coloplast of manufacturing a defective product, negligence, failure to warn, fraudulent concealment, fraud and unjust enrichment.

While vaginal mesh implants were touted as a faster and more convenient method of treating stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, women who have received these implants have been plagued with painful and debilitating complications.

Women have reported a variety of vaginal mesh complications, including pain during intercourse, mesh erosion into the vagina, infection, perforated organs and vaginal scarring. Correcting these conditions often requires a woman to undergo multiple revision surgeries. Even after repeated surgeries, some women find that their injuries are permanent.

Vaginal Mesh Implants Were Not Subjected to Premarket Testing

Manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants were able to bypass the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s premarket testing requirements by demonstrating that the devices were substantially similar to hernia repair products that were already on the market. Many women who have suffered complications from vaginal mesh side effects have been shocked to learn that these devices had not been subjected to extensive safety testing before being marketed.

Coloplast’s OB Tape was initially approved to treat female stress urinary incontinence in 2003. After receiving numerous complaints, the device was taken off the market in 2006. By this time, more than 35,000 women had already received the vaginal mesh implant.

Tens of Thousands of Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits Pending in MDL

There are currently more than 600 vaginal mesh lawsuits included in the Coloplast MDL. The West Virginia federal court is handling a total of six vaginal mesh MDLs made up of tens of thousands of lawsuits filed against other device manufacturers, including C.R. Bard, American Medical Systems, Boston Scientific Corp, Ethicon Inc., and Cook Medical Inc.

The next status conference in the Coloplast MDL will be held on August 1.

Banks is represented by Keith M. Jensen and Brandon H. Steffey of Jensen & Associates, PLLC.

The case is In Re: Coloplast Corp., Pelvic Support System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2387) Case No. 2:13-cv-16793, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Virginia.

Learn More about Your Legal Options

If you or someone you know has experienced serious consequences from vaginal mesh implants, visit the Transvaginal Mesh, Vaginal Sling, Vaginal Mesh and Bladder Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation for more information. If you choose to submit information about your injuries, an attorney will conduct a free case analysis to determine whether you qualify to file a vaginal mesh lawsuit.