Plaintiff Awarded $3.5M in Vaginal Mesh Injury Lawsuit

In its early existence, the vaginal mesh implant was used for hernias but shortly after was determined to be beneficial for and used for various women’s issues such as Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and incontinence issues mainly connected to child birth. Over time a woman’s pelvis organs begin to sag, putting stress on the uterus. There were other POP treatments a woman could opt for prior to the Prolift implant, but they were more invasive. Now that it has been available for a few years more women are experiencing vaginal mesh side effects they had not anticipated.

Vaginal Mesh Side Effects Prove to Be Painful

While most of the side effects connected to vaginal mesh include pain and urinary problems, many other women are also experiencing extreme complications such as perforation of the vaginal walls, bleeding and re-occurrence of prolapse and/or incontinence — the very reason the procedure was done in the first place. In some instances, women have even had the implanted mesh migrate, causing it to push against the uterus and protrude into the vagina. Other women have had to avoid sexual intercourse with their partner altogether due to extreme pain and for fear of injury to the penis. While many women want the implant removed, in many cases it is a better alternative to live with the pain as the mesh has intertwined with their own tissue.

Thousands of Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits Expected

In the case of Gross vs. Gynecare Inc., jurors in Atlantic City said they wanted to punish Johnson & Johnson. This is the first case of an expected 4,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits, with over 2,000 coming out of New Jersey alone. When the jury heard testimony from the plaintiff stating that she had to have 18 operations in order to fix and remove the mesh device, the jury found in favor of her. They awarded the plaintiff based on the failure of Johnson & Johnson to warn her surgeon of the risks of the Gynecare Prolift implant.

Various vaginal mesh injury lawsuits have all claimed similar side effects as was found in the Gross case against Johnson & Johnson. While there are nearly 40 other manufacturers of bladder sling and vaginal sling implants, Johnson & Johnson is the largest company. The first trial ended after six weeks with an award of $3.5 million to the plaintiff. With the allegations concluding that Johnson and Johnson sold a defective device after gaining knowledge that there was a risk for pain, perforation, scarring and organ damage, there could be punitive damages totaling over $16 million to follow.

Seek Help for Vaginal Mesh Side Effects

It is not uncommon to rely on medical marvels to help cure problems such as incontinence and other similar issues. However, if you have received a vaginal sling implant as a means of trying to improve your quality of life and instead suffer from unexpected side effects, there is help available for you. Visit the Transvaginal Mesh, Vaginal Sling, Vaginal Mesh and Bladder Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation for more information on how to get the help you deserve.