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(EMAILWIRE.COM, March 12, 2012 ) Pittsburgh, PA -- Product liability lawsuits against three transvaginal surgical mesh manufacturers were assigned to a single federal judge in a multidistrict litigation proceeding in February 2011. A previous multidistrict proceeding against C.R. Bard has been pending for several years in the Charleston, W. Vir. federal court.
The panel of judges that made this agreement argue that the reported defects in all of these devices are similar and that Judge Goodwin in Charleston, who has been handling the C.R. Bard case, could use his experience to speed-up the litigation process involving the other manufacturers.
A multidistrict litigation is not the same as a class action. Each woman will still have her own individual case and if that case does not go to settlement, it will be remanded to her home town for an individual trial. Women will have the right to make the decision whether to settle or have a case go to trial.
Multidistrict litigations are commonly used in mass disasters like an airplane crash or a major hotel fire as it is expected that thousands will file lawsuits. Since there are so many women across the United States who have filed lawsuits, a multidistrict litigation may make more sense.
The lawsuits that have been filed allege that the manufacturers of these devices recklessly and negligently marketed these products for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence and put the companies' interest in making profits over the safety of women. In many cases, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can be treated surgically using women's natural tissue without implantation of a surgical mesh. The risks and complications are much lower if a woman's own native tissue is used.
POP is a condition in which the pelvic organs slip out of place and bulge into the vagina. This condition is usually caused by women undergoing a hysterectomy or multiple childbirths. A vaginal mesh is a synthetic mesh that is implanted to help support these organs.
SUI is characterized as involuntary loss of urine during physical activity such as sneezing, coughing, laughing or exercises. While this condition is common in older women, it can also be seen in younger women and a mesh can be implanted to prevent further occurrences of SUI.
Vaginal mesh has been associated with several complications including: pain, infection, bleeding, painful sexual intercourse, painful urination and mesh shrinkage. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the most commonly reported complication is mesh erosion where the mesh erodes into surrounding tissue. Many women who have suffered complications undergo corrective surgeries. However, since the device is meant to grow into human tissue, the mesh is very difficult to remove.
For more information about this product and its dangers, please visit LegalView at www.legalview.com. LegalView also provides up-to-date information on vaginal mesh and free legal consultations for those who feel they have been harmed by vaginal mesh.
About LegalView:
LegalView is a public service brought to you by Legal WebTV Network, LLC, a Limited Liability Corporation created by a group of the nation's most highly respected law firms: Anapol Schwartz; Cohen, Placitella and Roth; James F. Humphreys and Associates; and Lopez McHugh. For more information on the accomplishments and track records of LegalView's superior sponsoring law firms and to get in touch with LegalView attorneys, visit LegalView at www.Legalview.com.
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