Ethicon Ordered to Pay $1.2 Million to Plaintiff in Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit

Published on April 11, 2014 by Sandy Liebhard

The first transvaginal mesh lawsuit verdict over Ethicon’s TVT-O sling has been reached by jurors in Texas state court, who have ordered the company to pay $1.2 million in damages caused by the implant, according to Bloomberg.com.

A report on April 4, 2014 indicates that the judgment was reached that day in Dallas, where the court ruled in favor of claims filed by a 64-year old woman who received a device from Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit and allegedly suffered mesh erosion and other complications. Although this was the first transvaginal mesh lawsuit to go to trial over the company’s TVT-O sling, according to court documents, it is hardly the first to be filed against Ethicon. More than 13,000 cases have now been filed over the company’s devices, many of which are now pending in a federal litigation established in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, and in a consolidated proceeding underway in New Jersey.

As of March 29, 2014, court records show a total of 4,826 lawsuits now filed in New Jersey’s Atlantic County Superior Court.

“This verdict represents the first time an impartial jury had the opportunity to decide whether Ethicon’s sling products are defective and they found exactly that. We believe this is the first of many more verdicts to come over this dangerous product.”

17,000 Lawsuits Alleging Mesh Erosion, other Complications Now Filed in U.S. Courts

Don’t plan on this verdict sticking though, if Ethicon officials have anything to say about it. “The jury’s verdict on design defect is disappointing, and we believe we have strong grounds for appeal,” said a spokesperson for the company.

Attorneys for the plaintiff are happy with the conclusion of this trial. One lawyer overseeing cases in the Southern District of West Virginia told Bloomberg that she predicts this outcome will be the first of many over products from Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon.

“This verdict represents the first time an impartial jury had the opportunity to decide whether Ethicon’s sling products are defective and they found exactly that. We believe this is the first of many more verdicts to come over this dangerous product.”