Subsidiary of American Medical Systems Offers $54.5 Million to Transvaginal Mesh Victims
A unit of Endo Pharmaceuticals, which is a subsidiary of American Medical Systems, has agreed to pay $54.5 million to settle some of the thousands of transvaginal mesh personal injury lawsuits that the company faces in North America.
Endo announced the settlement decision on Thursday, June 20th, in a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company did not admit any liability or fault involved in the transvaginal mesh cases, and did not disclose how many of the personal injury lawsuits would be settled with that amount of money. However, reports indicate that the settlement will not affect the majority of the 5,000 cases that AMS faces.
AMS executives “intend to continue to vigorously defend themselves in the remaining mesh product liability cases and in any new cases that may arise,” company officials said in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The filing stated that American Medical Systems had estimated its potential financial liability from all transvaginal mesh cases, at the end of March, to be at least $160 million.
American Medical Systems is only one of now seven companies that face around 29,000 lawsuits for their transvaginal mesh products. The company said that they have seen thousands of personal injury lawsuits since 2008, and they expect those numbers to continue to climb as more women suffer the side effects of transvaginal mesh devices. Most of these lawsuits have been consolidated under Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the United States District Court in West Virginia – he now presides over 6 MDLs, including the new Cook Medical MDL.
Meanwhile, Judge Carol E. Higbee, who presides over a seventh transvaginal mesh multidistrict lawsuit in New Jersey, set her MDL’s bellwether trials to begin in November. Her MDL involves 350 lawsuits against transvaginal mesh.
Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Already Awarded Millions to One Victim
Linda Gross, whose transvaginal mesh injury case was the first bellwether case against Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division, won $11 million for her suffering in February of this year.
On Monday, February 25th, Linda Gross was awarded $3.35 million for damages caused by her transvaginal mesh. On Friday, March 1, Gross was awarded an additional $7.76 million in punitive damages in her transvaginal mesh personal injury case. Gross received the implant in 2006, and has since undergone 18 revision surgeries to remove the mesh. She has gone to the doctor for checkups, pain meds, and other diagnoses over 400 times.
With one large payout already in a transvaginal mesh case, it could behoove more medical device manufacturers, who face such lawsuits, to offer settlements to their patients.
The Strom Law Firm Represents Women in Transvaginal Mesh Personal Injury Cases
It is important to hold medical manufacturers, including manufacturers of transvaginal mesh, to the highest ethical standard. If you or a loved one have had surgery involving transvaginal mesh, and have since suffered painful side effects including bleeding, infection, organ perforation, and constant pain in the lower extremities, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm understand the suffering caused by defective devices like transvaginal mesh, and can help with your case. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss your concerns, so do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.
