Wisconsin Women Files Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Against C.R. Bard

A Wisconsin woman and her husband have filed a vaginal mesh lawsuit against C.R. Bard Inc. after she allegedly suffered from vaginal mesh implant complications. 

Wisconsin resident Lillie Coburn had the PelviSoft Acellular Collagen BioMesh implanted on Aug. 10, 2010 at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah by Dr. Christopher Jolles. Allegedly as a result of C.R. Bard’s PelviSoft product, Coburn has suffered debilitating injuries. In the vaginal mesh lawsuit, Coburn claims that the product also caused her husband to experience loss of consortium because their relationship is hindered due to her vaginal mesh injuries. 

Vaginal mesh products like the PelviSoft BioMesh are implanted in women who suffer from stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ proplapse. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the leaking of urine when there is a “stress event,” which can include coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting—in other words, anything that puts pressure on the abdomen. This urine leakage occurs as the result of weakened pelvic muscles and connective tissue that support the bladder and urethra. There can be several causes of SUI including pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, obesity, smoking, and previous pelvic surgery. More than 15 million Americans suffer from SUI.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) develops in women due to child birth, a hysterectomy or menopause. During childbirth the muscles and ligaments are stretched and can tear causing them to become too weak to hold the organs in place. As a result, the bottom of the uterus, the floor of the bladder and the rectum can sag and even protrude into the vagina. Vaginal mesh slings are implanted to hold the organs in place where the muscles have failed.

Lawsuits against C.R. Bard allege that its vaginal mesh products were not sufficiently tested before it was used to help solve these very uncomfortable problems for thousands of women. Plaintiffs in these vaginal mesh lawsuits allege the PelviSoft BioMesh has resulted in complications such as perforating organs, vaginal erosion, infections, blood vessel laceration, and recurrent prolapse or incontinence causing severe pain that often require women to undergo corrective surgery. 

After receiving almost 3,000 complaints between 2008 and 2010, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) reported that vaginal mesh implant complications were not rare as they had once reported. 

There have been a growing number of vaginal mesh lawsuits since 2011, when the FDA issued a warning concerning a five-fold increase in vaginal mesh injuries. The frequency of vaginal mesh injuries had increased since the FDA’s initial warning. 

Mrs. Coburn’s vaginal mesh lawsuit is Lillie Coburn, et al. v. C.R. Bard Inc., et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-23988, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. It has been added to the Vaginal Mesh MDL, In re: C.R. Bard Inc. Pelvic System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2187, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. 

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 Transvaginal Mesh, Vaginal Sling, Vaginal Mesh and Bladder 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.