In implant case, nurse awarded $3.35 million

• Published February 26, 2013 Modified February 25, 2013

0 comments

A New Jersey jury has awarded $3.35 million to a former nurse who says Johnson & Johnson’s vaginal mesh implant caused severe chronic pain despite 18 unsuccessful repair surgeries.

It’s the first verdict in about 4,000 lawsuits filed against the health products maker. At least one plaintiff has won a lawsuit against another maker of the once-popular implants, used to lift sagging pelvic organs back into place.

The jury is to deliberate on possible punitive damages starting today.

Olympian news services

Similar stories:

J&J launches another recall of hip implants

J&J launches another recall of hip implants

Johnson & Johnson has again recalled thousands of its hip implants, 21/2 years after the health care giant issued a recall of two other types of its artificial hips.
Sports seem OK for many with heart-zapping device

Sports seem OK for many with heart-zapping device

New research is challenging medical guidelines that say people with a heart-zapping device in their chests should avoid intense sports like basketball and soccer in favor of golf or bowling.
Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy: Q&A

Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy: Q&A

Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie disclosed Tuesday that she had a preventive mastectomy after learning she had a gene mutation that significantly raised her risk of breast cancer. A look at the procedure:
Bengals place franchise tag on DE Johnson

Bengals place franchise tag on DE Johnson

The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Johnson.
Yakima ed board: Retirees shouldn't be allowed to game system

Yakima ed board: Retirees shouldn't be allowed to game system

The Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board writes that the state's pension systems for retirees lack oversight, and that state officials are right to investigate abuses of government retirement benefits.

The Yakima ed board's thoughts follow a three-part series by the Associated Press that revealed several incidences in which retirees abused the system -- using medical benefits to cover hot tubs and penile implants, for instance, or having last-minute pay raises that boosted their retirement checks.

"The state investigation will focus on how local jurisdictions reported the pay to state officials," the ed board writes. "It will also study whether to create a centralized board to handle medical claims for retirees, a move that would set standards and take the decision away from close friends of the retirees. A centralized board should be one of the first reforms to be implemented."