Woman Receives More Than $7 Million Additional Reward for Transvaginal Mesh Damages
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 personal injury case against transvaginal mesh manufacturer, Ethicon.
Ethicon is a subsidiary of medical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The subsidiary alone faces thousands more transvaginal mesh lawsuits, while J&J faces tens of thousands of lawsuits from several other personal injury cases across the world.
Linda Gross’s transvaginal mesh case is the first bellwether trial in a series of nearly 4,000 personal injury lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation against Ethicon.
With Gross’s initial award, combined with her latest award, she has received $11 million.
On Monday, the panel found that Ethicon failed to properly warn Gross’s surgeons of the dangers of transvaginal mesh. 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.
Transvaginal Device Manufacturer Will Dispute Large Awards
Ethicon, however, plans to appeal both awards. According to Sheri Woodruff, “The punitive damage award is unsupported by the evidence presented at trial. Ethicon acted appropriately in the research, development and marketing of the Prolift.”
Linda Gross’s attorney, Adam Slater, was infuriated by Ethicon’s statements. “We’re going to need more and bigger punitive-damage awards against Johnson & Johnson before they ever have the humility to realize they are not above the law,” Slater said in an interview.
Johnson & Johnson lawyer Christie Jones was very apologetic before the jury’s second decision, on Tuesday. “I understand that you have found that we could have done a better job and that we in fact fell short,” Jones said Tuesday. “My clients understand that. We hear you, I promise you. While I confess to you from the bottom of my heart that it hurts, and we’re disappointed in the verdict, we nonetheless appreciate what you have said and recognize and respect your verdict.”
However, the transvaginal mesh manufacturer was less apologetic later in the week. “While we are always concerned when a patient experiences medical conditions like those suffered by the plaintiff, all surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse present risks of complications,” J&J said in its statement.
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.
