Boston Scientific Obtryx Sling Lawsuits Consolidated for Trial

The judge presiding over more than 50,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits pending in the federal court system has scheduled a combined trial date for October, which will involve 11 different cases brought by women who experienced problems after receiving a Boston Scientific Obtryx sling for repair of stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin is currently overseeing eight different federal multidistrict litigations (MDLs), which have been centralized in the Southern District of West Virginia for product liability lawsuits brought against different manufacturers of vaginal mesh and bladder sling products, including Boston Scientific, Ethicon, American Medical Systems (AMS), C.R. Bard, Coloplast, Cook Medical and Neomedic.

As part of the coordinated pretrial proceedings, a small group of cases involving products manufactured by several of the companies have been prepared for early trial dates, known as “bellwether” cases because the outcomes are designed to help the parties gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain evidence and testimony that may be repeated throughout the litigation. About one trial date is expected to begin each month before Judge Goodwin this year.

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According to a pretrial order (PDF) issued on February 19, a trial scheduled to begin on October 14, 2014 will include eleven Boston Scientific mesh lawsuits brought by different women, which will all go before the same jury. All of the claims were brought by women from West Virginia who experienced complications after receiving the Boston Scientific Obtryx Transobturator Mid-Urethral Sling System, which will involve similar factual allegations.

“All of the plaintiffs allege negligence, design defect, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty and punitive damages,” wrote Judge Goodwin in explaining the consolidated trial. “According to plaintiffs, the Obtryx has high malfunction and complication rates, fails to perform as intended and causes severe injuries, including infection, scarring, nerve damage and organ perforation.”

Vaginal Mesh Trials

According to the latest case list (PDF) issued by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigations, Judge Goodwin is currently presiding over 7,617 Boston Scientific mesh lawsuits, 12,992 Ethicon mesh lawsuits, 13,292 American Medical Systems (AMS) mesh lawsuits, 6,172 Bard Avaulta mesh lawsuits, 1,155 Coloplast mesh lawsuits, 152 Cook Medical mesh lawsuits, and 21 Neomedic mesh lawsuits.

All of the complaints involve similar allegations that women experienced complications from bladder sling and vaginal mesh products that were surgically implanted transvaginally for repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Lawsuits claim that the surgical mesh was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous, carrying a risk of the mesh eroding through the vagina, causing infections and other debilitating injuries.

While the outcomes of these bellwether cases are not binding on other claims, the preparation and outcomes of these early trial dates may facilitate further negotiations to reach vaginal mesh settlements without the need to schedule thousands of individual cases for trial dates throughout the country.

At least five vaginal mesh cases have already gone before juries, with two cases going before state court juries and three cases proceeding to trial in federal court. In July 2012, a California state court jury awarded $5.5 million in damages against C.R. Bard and a New Jersey state court jury awarded $11.1 million in damages against Ethicon in March 2013.

In July 2013, a federal jury awarded $2 million in damages against Bard, including punitive damages designed to punish the manufacturer for their actions surrounding the design and sale of Avaulta pelvic mesh products. A second Bard case settled during the first day of trial for an undisclosed sum.

Earlier this month, trial began before Judge Goodwin involving an Ethicon Gynecare mesh product. However, a defense verdict was entered following the presentation of the plaintiff’s case, granting the manufacturer’s motion for judgment as a matter of law after Judge Goodwin found that insufficient evidence had been presented for the jury to find that a defect in the mesh was the cause of that plaintiff’s injury.

A trial was originally scheduled to begin against Boston Scientific on March 10, involving a case filed by Carol Lynn Fawcett. However, that trial date was cancelled earlier this month.

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4 Comments

  • ToshaJune 24, 2022 at 5:13 pm

    I have an OBSTRYX sling implanted in 20010 I am prolapsed again, experiencing incontinence again, pain during sex, lesions and prolapse Also experience lower abdominal pain, especially when emptying bladder. Almost feels like real bad menstrual cramps. Just had surgery with world renound Dr. Irini E Veronikis Md Who removed the sling and also stated sling was not implanted correctly.

  • MaggieAugust 29, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    I have an OBSTRYX sling implanted in 2009. I am prolapsing again, experiencing incontinence again, pain during sex, lesions and now chronic bladder infections. Also experience lower abdominal pain, especially when emptying bladder. Almost feels like real bad menstrual cramps. I've been on Macrobid (Antibiotic) for 8 months now and my doctors said I would probably have to take them the rest of [Show More]I have an OBSTRYX sling implanted in 2009. I am prolapsing again, experiencing incontinence again, pain during sex, lesions and now chronic bladder infections. Also experience lower abdominal pain, especially when emptying bladder. Almost feels like real bad menstrual cramps. I've been on Macrobid (Antibiotic) for 8 months now and my doctors said I would probably have to take them the rest of my life. He noted in my file that this is most likely due to an eroding mesh. Yet Boston Scientific has won two of their trials stating product is not defective....yeah-right.

  • MaryAugust 20, 2014 at 9:14 pm

    I had the Boston Scientific Transobturator sling done May 4, 2009. I am having the feeling that my bladder doesn't empty. I feel a fullness in the bladder most of the time, mainly in the evening & night. Could this be a problem from the sling? Thanks, Mary

  • LorettaApril 22, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    About 1 year after my surgery, my bladder started leaking again. I have worn a pad all the time since. There is pain when my husband inserts his penis but then goes away. I have a constant ache in my lower abdomen. I had my surgery 3 Sep 2009. I was really upset to learn that they knew there were problems before this date.

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