Seattle, WAAlthough American Medical Systems and Endo, the AMS transvaginal mesh manufacturer, has agreed to settle approximately 20,000 cases, this amount averages about $40,000 per woman who has suffered severe pain due to mesh erosion and protrusion, and many women can no longer have sexual intercourse. Some women who have been living in agony for a number of years are insulted with this amount of compensation.
Endo Health, the parent company of American Medical Systems (AMS), set aside $54.5 million in 2013 to settle an undisclosed number of transvaginal mesh lawsuits. But more claims poured in, and in May of this year, the amount was raised to $830 million.
“I had two surgeries in 2009 to repair the AMS mesh that ripped through my vaginal wall, and since that time I can’t even count the number of infections I’ve had,” says Janice. “Unfortunately, I don’t have health insurance anymore so this settlement amount will barely cover the costs of getting the rest of the mesh removed - my partner can still feel it and sex is so painful; this transvaginal mesh has almost wrecked our relationship.”
Before Janice can have the mesh removed she needs to find a surgeon willing to perform the surgery. “I don’t know of anyone here in Seattle who can remove the mesh, so having to travel, maybe to another state, will also be costly…”
“Although AMS was able to wrap up a bunch of cases in these first settlements, it is anticipated that many law firms are fighting for more money than the reported settlement range,” said Chris Janish, CEO of MT Services LLC, a Lawsuit Settlement News Reporting company. “We have seen firsthand many clients obtaining larger settlement awards, some as high as a $450K where the injuries are serious. We encourage women who are having mesh related issues and require a revision surgery to seek legal consultation immediately to see if they are eligible for a legal settlement due to mesh complications.”
Marilyn (not her real name) had AMS transvaginal surgery to correct urinary stress incontinence about the same time as Janice. Like Janice and very likely more than 20,000 other women, she has been suffering with pain for five years.
“I have lived with pain since the day I had my surgery,” says Marilyn, age 45. “I haven’t been able to have sexual intercourse for five years because of the pain. My doctor sent me to a neurologist who told me that I have nerve damage. So he prescribed pain meds and with that comes a whole other set of problems. And to top it all off, I have recently developed another problem: urinary retention. Yet another doctor I saw said another surgery is the only way to correct this. I cannot get the urine out on my own and several times I’ve gone to ER to be catheterized and now I have to catheterize myself at home daily. The doctors have told me that the toxicity from the retained urine can cause serious problems, including fatality. An AMS settlement of $40,000 is like a slap in the face.”
As Chris Janish has advised, seek legal help sooner than later: the statute of limitations may apply to your claim.
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