Mesh Trial Pioneer Linda Batiste to be Laid to Rest

MND, August 14, 2015 ~ A funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 15 in Garland, Texas for mesh-injured pioneer Linda Elizabeth Batiste. Batiste died Saturday, August 8th. She had been suffering from cancer.

Linda Batiste, 65, was the plaintiff in the first trial to win a jury award against Johnson & Johnson over her pelvic mesh implant, a TVT-O made by Ethicon, a division of J&J.

Ms. Batiste was awarded $1.2 million by a Dallas jury on April 3, 2014. Enduring pain and walking with a cane, Ms. Batiste, a former registered nurse, attended nearly all of her three-week trial.

In a precedent setting decision, the jurors decided the TVT-O was defectively designed. They rejected Batiste’s claim that Ethicon didn’t provide proper warnings about the health risks and declined awarding punitive damages. Since her trial, the jury in the Jo Husky trial also decided the Ethicon TVT-O was defective in its design.

The incontinence treatment remains on the market.

See the story on the trials conclusion on Mesh News Desk here. See the trial coverage on Mesh News Desk here. Aaron Horton covered the trial for Mesh News Desk along with another mesh injured woman who prefers to be called “Kathy.” See her coverage here.

According to the family, Aaron is considered one of the family and fundraising efforts were approved by Sara Gaston, Linda’s oldest daughter, as well as the rest of the family. Here is the Linda Batiste program for the Saturday service.

The Mesh Warrior Foundation reports 100% of the proceeds from her page will go toward expenses to lay Ms. Batiste to rest. The purple and blue ribbons were made by Horton and Linda's grandson, Josh, this week to be given out at the service.

Linda’s favorite color was purple.

“Thank you! It’s perfect,” Ms. Gaston wrote in approving the web post.

The jury award of $1.2 million has never been paid by Johnson & Johnson and is on appeal.

“Although she lost her battle for life; she died knowing that she had won the war,” says her obit. #

Please Note* There has been a change for Ms. Batiste’s services. They will still be held Saturday, August 15, 2015 with visitation from 10:00 am to 10:45 am. Her Celebration of Life Service will follow at approximately 12:00 Noon at: Macedonia Baptist Church 3925 Bucknell Dr. Garland, TX 75042

Horton and The Mesh Warrior Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for Ms. Batiste's family. All of the proceeds from this page will go towards the expenses necessary to lay Ms. Batiste to rest, including a headstone, all done with the family’s approval and blessing. Here is the link to donate.

Aaron Horton's story on Linda Batiste appears on The Mesh Warrior blog.

Here is the Chamberland Funeral Home notice.

Mesh News Desk offers its sincerest condolences to the family of Linda Batiste. May she rest in peace. #