Hernia patients who’ve been injured by Ethicon’s Physiomesh Composite medical device and have filed lawsuits against the medical device maker, have petitioned for their cases to be consolidated in the state of Florida.
On March 9, 2017, plaintiffs filed a Motion for Transfer for 18 hernia mesh lawsuits filed in nine separate courts across the country: Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Colorado, South Carolina, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and New Jersey.
In their petition, the plaintiffs noted that Florida judge Hon. Paul G. Byron is already handling one of the first hernia mesh lawsuits and would be well-suited to handle these cases.
Approximately 50% of Ethicon’s 330,000 mesh devices were sold in the United States. The devices have caused physical complications which include infections, organ damage, autoimmune problems, adhesions (scar tissue) and bowel obstruction that require additional surgery.
The mesh lawsuits that the health issues caused by the hernia mesh result from the device’s defective design. They further allege that Ethicon knew about the design defect and failed to warn the public about it.
The hernia mesh is similar in construction to the pelvic mesh which has also been the subject of complaints and lawsuits. Hernia mesh is made of the same polypropylene plastic. As of March 15, 2017, there are more than 60,000 claims pending against six transvaginal mesh manufacturers. At one time, there were close to 100,000.
Plaintiffs in hernia mesh litigation suffer similar complications as transvaginal mesh victims.
“The plaintiffs herein suffered serious and often permanent physical injuries from the implantation of the Physiomesh, often requiring additional surgeries, additional medical expenses, and unresolved medical complications,” hernia mesh plaintiffs wrote in court documents.
If you or a loved one have had problems as a result of the vaginal mesh or the hernia mesh, please call Attorney Joe Saunders for a free legal consultation.