Strattice Mesh Lawsuit Scheduled for First Federal Bellwether Trial

“Pig skin” hernia mesh has been linked to hundreds of injuries and several deaths, amid reports that immune system reactions to the material have caused infections and other serious complications.

Lawyers involved in Strattice hernia mesh lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey will meet with the federal judge presiding over the litigation tomorrow, to discuss preparations for the first of at least two early test trials, which the Court has indicated should be ready to begin by February 2026.

The Strattice Reconstructive Tissue Matrix is a hernia repair mesh that was introduced in 2008, and is constructed from porcine, or pig skin, which is then preserved in a phosphate buffered aqueous solution. It is marketed as a cross-linked graft device, intended to chemically link the proteins in the tissue together.

In recent years, the Strattice manufacturer has faced dozens of hernia mesh lawsuits alleging that the design actually increases the risk of foreign body responses, infections and other complications. Many of the complaints suggest that the hernia mesh products were defectively designed, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receiving 450 medical device reports involving the Strattice from 1990 through 2020, including at least six deaths, 340 injuries and 107 mesh malfunctions.

While most claims have been filed in New Jersey state court, and have been consolidated into a Strattice multicounty litigation (MCL), lawsuits have also been filed in federal court in the District of New Jersey, where the manufacturer, Lifecell Corporation, is headquartered.

Late last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda D. Wettre issued an amended case management order (PDF), indicating that the first bellwether trial will involve a claim by Robert Sandoval, which is expected to go before a jury in February 2026. The trials are designed to test how juries will respond to evidence and testimony likely to be repeated throughout the litigation, in hopes of setting the stage for a Strattice hernia mesh lawsuit settlement agreement.

The order outlines a timeline of key deadlines leading up to trial, starting with a status conference this Wednesday. Opening briefs for dispositive and related expert motions are due by August 5, with responses due by September 5, and replies by September 15. Separate expert motion briefs must be filed by September 25, followed by responses due October 17 and replies by October 28.

No date has yet been set for the second trial, but there will be at least a four month gap between the two trials.

While the results of those bellwether trials will not be binding on other claims, if no Strattice settlement agreement results from the test cases, the lawsuits will likely be remanded for individual trial dates.

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