Minnesota Woman Files Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit

Myndal Johnson joined dozens of women who have filed vaginal mesh lawsuits on January 9, 2012, prompted by information released by the Food and Drug Administration regarding vaginal mesh complications. The FDA recently concluded that the continued use of vaginal mesh was a concern because of the potential for side effects and vaginal mesh complications associated with use of the devices. Johnson received a vaginal mesh implant in June of 2001 in order to treat stress urinary incontinence, and began experiencing vaginal mesh side effects shortly thereafter. 

According to the lawsuit filed by Johnson's vaginal mesh lawyer against mesh manufacturer Ethicon, Inc. Johnson began experiencing side effects such as pain and bleeding after intercourse shortly after her initial vaginal mesh surgery. She also began to suffer from vaginal mesh erosion, hardening, and chronic pain. Eventually, in January of 2008, Johnson underwent a second surgery to remove the vaginal mesh in order to help fix the problems that it had caused. Johnson is now suing Ethicon with the help of her vaginal mesh lawyer due to "severe mental and physical pain."

Johnson and her lawyer claim that Ethicon failed to properly warn users about the risks associated with the product and assert that the device maker knowingly marketed and sold a defective product. Vaginal mesh has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in women who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence. It helps support the pelvic floor, alleviating symptoms associated with these conditions, but it has been linked to vaginal mesh complications such as tissue breakdown, immune reactions, and degradation of the mesh. Hundreds of women have hired vaginal mesh lawyers, looking to take legal action against some of the many companies that manufacture vaginal mesh products.

New information means new lawsuits, and many women will likely follow in Ms. Johnson's footsteps and file their own vaginal mesh lawsuit after seeing the information the Food and Drug Administration released. Just as there was a wave of vaginal mesh lawsuits after the Food and Drug Administration's public health notice about the devices and 2008, regarding the thousands of complaints issued by vaginal mesh recipients over a period of three years, there is likely to be another rise in the number of similar lawsuits filed by patients who have experienced vaginal mesh complications.