$1.7 Billion Mesh-Injury Class Action Litigation Underway in Israel

More news is coming into Mesh News Desk from around the world concerning mesh litigation.

Johnson & Johnson is being sued in Israel for $1.7 billion over complications linked to its Prolift Vaginal Mesh kit used to treat pelvic organ prolapse. You may recall that the Prolift was sold by Ethicon (Johnson & Jonson) before it ever received FDA approval. See background story in the Linda Gross case.

This lawsuit was filed in the District Court in Lod, Israel, with a request that the case be turned into a class action that will represent women in Israel who have suffered from vaginal mesh-related injuries. The suit is asking for NIS 6 billion — or about $1.7 billion — on behalf of about 60,000 women in Israel who allegedly experienced similar injuries tied to the Prolift mesh, according to Jewish Business News.

Last week Zubeidat Narges (the “Plaintiff”) submitted the claim on behalf of herself, and also with a request for the Court to certify the claim as a class action suit on behalf of an estimated 60,000 women in Israel who allege they too have experienced complications as a result of pelvic mesh, which they claim is defective in its manufacture.

Tali Traiband of Traiband Law Firm tells Mesh News Desk, "A plantiff will file a medical negligence claim to the district court and if that specific claim is relevant to a large group of people that, he or she can prove to the court, through general parameters and statistics, then the group most likely is large enough and you can also file a class action to the Supreme Court."

Mr. Traiband says there is no multidistrict litigation(MDL) in Israel. The MDL in West Virginia is handling the bulk of cases filed in federal court in the U.S. Currently there are 66-thousand cases filed against seven manufacturers.

Mesh News Desk has heard from plaintiffs from around the world including France, Germany, The Netherlands, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, among other countries. When a mesh product is removed from sale in the U.S., it will often continue to be exported for use in other countries.

Plaintiffs from Israel can contact Mesh News Desk editor at janeakre@meshnewsdesk.com for more information.