Women all around the country are filing transvaginal mesh (TVM) lawsuits against manufacturers of these devices after needing removal surgery because of complications with the mesh.
In Washington state, four women said they experienced major injuries that were caused by transvaginal mesh devices, produced by several manufacturers. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, they want Bob Ferguson, Washington attorney general, to investigate the largest producer of these devices: Johnson & Johnson.
The source noted that the company is already in hot water because of complications due to TVM implants, and it’s facing at least 22,000 product-liability cases. In addition, a district judge in West Virginia ruled that Johnson & Johnson, which is based in New Jersey, is guilty of misplacing or destroying thousands of documents that held relevant information in regard to TVM lawsuits filed by women across the country.
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“The fact that Johnson & Johnson has offices and conducts business throughout Washington only adds to the importance of your office pursuing this matter,” the women wrote in a letter to the attorney general. “It is critical that the Washington State Office of the Attorney General pursue this matter to recoup the state taxpayer dollars Medicaid and other public health systems have been and will be forced to spend to treat women who have been injured.”
Back in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that about 10 percent of women who received a TVM implant to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) experience erosion within a year. In 2014, the FDA announced that it’s considering a reclassification of TVM to a high-risk device, which would mean stricter safety requirements for manufacturers.
Women who have needed TVM removal surgery following a serious complication with the device may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. If you wish to file your own case, it’s prudent to contact a lawyer who is well-versed in mass tort cases because they have a deep understanding of how these cases work.
Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.