Pelvic Mesh Litigation

Hundreds of thousands of women across the United States have had surgical procedures to correct pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. These are often referred to as trans vaginal mesh and bladder sling devices.

In 2008 the FDA issued its first warning about the serious side effects of trans vaginal placement of these mesh products. Recently they also ordered 33 different manufacturers of these trans vaginal mesh products to conduct after market surveillance studies on the safety and side effects of their products. Some of the problems associated with these trans vaginal mesh products include organ perforation, mesh erosion, infection and fistula development. Approximately four years ago the first cases against Johnson & Johnson were filed in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The first cases are scheduled to begin trial in July 2012. Judge Carol Higbee who presides over these cases has ordered the depositions of the plaintiffs and defendants and the discovery of millions of pages of internal corporate documents. Judge Higbee is no stranger to mass tort complex litigation involving harmful medical products. In fact she oversaw the Vioxx litigation in New Jersey against pharmaceutical giant, Merck. The Vioxx litigation ultimately led to settlements of tens of thousands of claims.