Covidien Mesh Lawyers to Meet With MDL Judge This Week, Following Landmark Verdict

A federal judge overseeing the Covidien hernia mesh multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has scheduled a meeting with counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants this week to discuss the implications of a recent $88 million bellwether verdict and chart a path forward for the remaining claims.

Covidien and its parent company Medtronic face more than 2,400 consolidated product liability lawsuits alleging that hernia mesh products including Symbotex, Parietex, ProGrip and others are defectively designed and prone to complications such as failure, adhesions, recurring hernias, and the need for revision surgery. Plaintiffs contend the manufacturers knew or should have known of these serious risks but failed to provide adequate warnings to physicians and patients and did not correct design defects when evidence emerged, prioritizing profits over safety.

The $88 million verdict in the initial bellwether trial is expected to inform settlement discussions and shape the schedule for additional bellwether trials, which are used to test jury reactions to evidence and encourage resolution of similar claims across the broader litigation.

This is a curated brief from the PlaintiffWire news desk. Read the original report at AboutLawsuits.