Rheingold, Guiffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP Files Lawsuits Against Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson on Behalf of Defective Hernia Mesh Victims

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP announce that they have filed a lawsuit against Ethicon, Inc., the makers of the defective Physiomesh, as well as their parent company, Johnson & Johnson. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of three patients who received Physiomesh to repair their abdominal hernias and experienced complications, such as hernia recurrences and chronic abdominal pain.

According to the complaints filed in the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs underwent hernia repair surgery, at which time the medical devices were implanted. However, the mesh proved to be defective and caused various medical complications. All plaintiffs reported severe abdominal pain as well as hernia recurrence. In the case of one plaintiff, whose hernia recurred as a result of the mesh breaking, a bulge could be seen protruding through his abdomen. Furthermore, when plaintiffs underwent revision surgery, their respective surgeons found not only that the mesh lost its integrity, but also that broken pieces of mesh were adherent to plaintiffs' bowels. These adhesions necessitated the mesh to be surgically cut loose from various parts of the bowel (Case No. 1:17-cv-06667, 1:17-cv-06681, 1:17-cv-06682).

"Physiomesh is a looming medical disaster as Ethicon has never contacted Physiomesh patients about the hernia mesh failures," says David Rheingold, the partner in charge of the Physiomesh lawsuit at Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP. The law firm is representing a multitude of clients who have been implanted with the Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh during laparoscopic ventral hernia repair and have experienced severe consequences. The lawsuit also alleges Ethicon was aware of the dangers of the hernia mesh, but did not act on this information.

More importantly, these cases merely represent a small portion of the many people whose lives have been damaged by Physiomesh. The overwhelming amount of Physiomesh victims seeking justice has led to the consolidation of such cases. This process, known as multi-district litigation (MDL), allows for Physiomesh cases with similar allegations to be consolidated in order to streamline proceedings in one state. Currently, the Physiomesh MDL has been centralized in the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta, where proceedings are set to begin (MDL No. 2782).

Physiomesh Field Safety Notice
Ethicon is a medical device manufacturer, as well as a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Among the many products it developed and manufactured, Ethicon designed and manufactured Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh, which is an implantable tissue-separating mesh meant to be compatible with the abdominal wall. The mesh is composed of a non-absorbable, macro porous polypropylene mesh, and then laminated. Physiomesh was intended to be used in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

On May 25, 2016, Ethicon issued a Field Safety Notice withdrawing the Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh. In their statement, Ethicon attributes their withdrawal to unpublished data from two large independent hernia registries, Herniamed German Registry and Danish Hernia Database, DHDB. Both these registries discovered that recurrence and reoperation rates among Physiomesh patients were "higher than the average rates of the comparator set of meshes in the registries." However, FDA reports concerning Physiomesh complications have been found as early as 2012. Furthermore, several studies identifying the risks of Physiomesh were published previous to the 2016 Field Safety Notice.

About Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP
Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP has dealt with multiple product liability cases over the years, particularly with cases concerning defective medical devices. The law firm has previously litigated similar cases concerning faulty pelvic mesh and other brands of hernia mesh. Their legal team has recovered significant settlements on behalf of their clients, totaling up to over a billion dollars.

Currently, Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP is available to review potential Physiomesh cases. If you or your loved ones have experienced the damaging effects of Physiomesh, please reach out to the firm at (212) 684-1880.

SOURCE Rheingold, Giuffra, Ruffo, & Plotkin LLP