Twenty-six Ethicon pelvic mesh cases have been consolidated into one trial scheduled for November 2, 2015 in the Southern District of West Virginia. Judge Joseph Goodwin ordered the consolidation in an effort to help move the transvaginal mesh cases before him forward. There are currently 77,732 pelvic mesh implant cases filed in Judge Goodwin’s court, 26,524 against J&J’s Ethicon division, who has exhibited little willingness to resolve the pending mesh implant cases. Judge Goodwin is determined to move the TVT cases forward and we applaud his efforts in this regard.
All 26 plaintiffs allege that they were implanted with transvaginal tape (TVT) to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and the TVT caused them to suffer a variety of serious injuries. The cases all have common issues of law and fact, allowing them to be consolidated under Federal Rule 42(a). The surgeries related to all 26 cases were performed in West Virginia by different physicians, but all of the meshes were made by Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson.
Allegations Against Ethicon and J&J
The complaints allege that the 26 plaintiffs suffered some of the following injuries resulting from the TVT mesh implant:
About Transvaginal Mesh
Ethicon manufactures a variety of pelvic meshes made of polypropylene that are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and SUI. First introduced to the market in the mid-1990s, transvaginal mesh is implanted transvaginally or through the vagina, and was first approved by the FDA under a 501(k) process based on a similarity to other mesh products already on the market. As a result, many transvaginal mesh products were approved before they were adequately tested on humans. Millions of women have had transvaginal mesh surgery and many procedures have resulted in severe and sometimes permanent injury.
