Transvaginal mesh attorneys from across the country are converging
in Charleston, West Virginia this week for the first pretrial conference of the
newly created multi-district litigation actions against transvaginal mesh
manufacturing giants, Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, and American
Medical Systems. The joint conference will take place in front of Judge Joseph R.
Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia - who was recently appointed
by the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation to oversee each of the
individual dockets against these defendants and their related entities. Judge
Goodwin has been overseeing the Bard transvaginal mesh MDL since 2010. Counsel
organizational structure (including the appointment of Plaintiffs' Steering
Committee), scheduling, and an overview of the litigation are expected to be on
the conference agenda along with many other general housekeeping items.
Attorney Erin Copeland from Houston, Texas will be
one of the transvaginal mesh attorneys in attendance.
In July 2011, the FDA issued a News Release warning of the dangers
associated with synthetic transvaginal mesh - including the types of mesh
manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, American Medical
Systems, Bard, and many others. The safety communication warned that
transvaginal placement of mesh may expose women to more danger than other
surgical options. It also says that with
the exposure to greater risk comes no
evidence of greater clinical benefit such as improved quality of life.
