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Editor: Bob Binstock, Attorney at Law
Profession: Defective Medical Device Attorney

Category: Mesh Patch Lawsuits

For the first time in history Rhode Island has been named the site of multidistrict litigation. This means that all of the cases filed all over the country involving Davol's Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch have been transferred to the Rhode Island District Court for pretrial proceedings and a possible settlement. Over 150 cases in all have consolidated to the Rhode Island courts and Judge Mary Lisi, who will be presiding over pretrial matters in federal cases, said that there should be no problems with trying the cases in Rhode Island.

The lawsuits claim Davol made defective implants that have broken or otherwise failed, causing bowel perforations or blockage, potentially leading to internal bleeding, serious infections and fistulas. In some cases, the devices are allegedly linked to deaths. The suits claim Davol waited too long to notify the public and to conduct recalls. The Food and Drug Administration has reported "discrepancies" and "inconsistencies" in how Davol tracked and analyzed device-related complaints, according to The New York Times.

The U.S. District Courts of Rhode Island are relatively small by comparison to other district courts, like those of New York. The court prides itself on its smallness and efficiency and says that they have no backlog of cases and they should have no difficulty handling the hernia patch cases. The Rhode Island court seems to be excited about the opportunity to try these cases and has even posted information regarding the trial on their website.