Covidien ProGrip Hernia Mesh Lawsuit Joins Over 2,200 Similar Claims in MDL

First Covidien hernia mesh trial is scheduled to begin on July 13, 2026, involving defect allegations over the failure of a Covidien Symbotex mesh implant.

Covidien is facing thousands of claims involving various hernia mesh products like the ProGrip Mesh, which some patients say led to device failures, complications and the need for revision surgery due to a defective design.

One of the latest claims was filed by Rick D. Jenne of New York, whose complaint (PDF) was brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on January 6, indicating that his ProGrip Laparoscopic Mesh failed, requiring additional surgeries.

The Covidien ProGrip hernia mesh is engineered for open inguinal hernia repair, using a self-fixating design that includes a surface covered with polylactic acid microgrips and polyester microfilaments, which allow the mesh to cling to tissue in a manner similar to Velcro.

For more than a decade, Covidien and other medical device manufacturers have faced hernia mesh lawsuits alleging that ProGrip and similar designs are defectively made. The complaints link the devices to shrinkage, erosion and organ perforations, particularly at points where the microgrips attach to surrounding tissue. 

As in Jenne’s case, those complications have often required additional surgeries, including partial or complete mesh removal in severe cases.

Jenne’s lawsuit joins more than 2,200 similar Covidien hernia mesh lawsuits filed in the District of Massachusetts, where they are centralized under U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

According to Jenne’s complaint, he was implanted with a ProGrip Laparoscopic mesh in May of 2019, after which he required subsequent surgical intervention. Plaintiffs across the MDL raise similar allegations, indicating that various Covidien mesh devices share design problems that can lead to chronic pain, infections, adhesions, hernia recurrence and the need for revision surgery. 

Many claims focus on the polyester or composite materials used in products like ProGrip, Symbotex and Parietex ProGrip, which are alleged to behave unpredictably once implanted.

Judge Saris has called for a Covidien hernia mesh lawsuit bellwether trial to go before a jury on July 13, 2026, after rescheduling an earlier trial date which would have seen a case go to trial next month. The first bellwether trial will focus on a claim involving a Covidien Symbotex mesh implant filed by Larry Patterson, who suffered small bowel obstruction and a recurrent hernia, requiring major corrective surgery in July 2020.

The bellwether trials are designed to give the parties a chance to see how juries gauge the strengths and weaknesses of evidence and testimony that would likely be repeated in thousands of trials. While the outcomes of these early test trials are not binding on other cases, the results will be closely watched to see if they can help form the basis for a hernia mesh lawsuit settlement.

If no agreement is reached after the bellwether trials are completed, it is likely that Judge Saris will remand the remaining cases back to their original districts for individual trial dates.

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