Pelvic mesh injuries lead California judge to impose $344 million penalty on Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson must pay nearly $344 million after a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled that the company “deceptively marketed their pelvic mesh products” in California.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement said that Thursday’s court decision “achieved justice for the women and families forever scarred by Johnson & Johnson’s dishonesty.”
“Johnson & Johnson intentionally concealed the risks of its pelvic mesh implant devices. It robbed women and their doctors of their ability to make informed decisions about whether to permanently implant the products in patients’ bodies,” Becerra said in a statement.
Thursday’s decision came after a nine-week trial that began last July. The Department of Justice took Johnson & Johnson to court alleging that the company knew about side effects and potential risks associated with their pelvic mesh implant products and yet omitted that information from the public.
Side effects of those products could include “permanent pain with intercourse, loss of sexual function, chronic pain, permanent urinary or defecatory dysfunction, and potentially devastating impact on overall quality of life,” according to Becerra’s office.
The company sold more than 470,000 pelvic mesh products, including more than 30,000 in California.
Becerra’s office noted that this is the first time that a court of law has found Johnson & Johnson guilty of engaging in deceptive business practices.
The company has settled similar claims brought against it by the State of Washington (for $9.9 million) and a coalition of 42 states (for $117 million).
Johnson & Johnson did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 4:23 PM.
