Colorado residents might be interested to learn that vaginal mesh manufacturer C.R. Bard Inc. has agreed to settle 500 lawsuits over their products for $21 million, or about $43,000 per claim. The settlement would resolve the hundreds of products liability claims by women who allege that they were harmed by the company’s products.
According to federal court filings in West Virginia, hundreds of women claim that vaginal mesh implants manufactured by Bard resulted in them suffering from constant pain. The implants have also been blamed for causing organ damage and pain. After thousands of lawsuits were filed against several different companies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants to look into organ damage rates by women using their products.
In 2010, doctors in the U.S. inserted 70,000 vaginal mesh devices into women’s bodies to treat various health issues. Many of the women who received these implants have claimed that the devices eroded in their bodies and led to medical complications. In their July 24 Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Bard reported about 12,400 lawsuits over the devices and $262.7 million in products liability-related expenses.
A person who has been injured by a medical device may want to speak with an attorney about pursuing a claim for compensation. A lawyer may be able to gather all relevant evidence to present a strong case for a products liability claim. Additionally, a lawyer could also represent an injured victim in settlement negotiations with the manufacturer of the defective product to ensure that the compensation awarded covers all damages associated with the injury.
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, “Bard Said to Pay $21 Million in First Big Vaginal-Mesh Accord”, Jef Feeley, October 08, 2014