CHARLESTON -- A federal judge granted judgment to Johnson & Johnson in the first multridistrict litigation case over alleged transvaginal mesh injuries.
District Judge Joseph Goodwin on Tuesday ruled in favor of Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon division "as a matter of law." He dismissed the case of Texas resident Carolyn Lewis. It is one of more than 50,000 Goodwin is handling in Charleston as part of a federal MDL.
The suits claim the mesh -- which have been produced by several companies -- has to be replaced because it deteriorates. That causes it to have to be replaced and, allegedly, can cause other medical problems.
Before Tuesday's judgment, Goodwin already had dismissed Lewis' claim that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers of problems.
On Tuesday, defense attorneys filed a motion for summary judgment claiming plaintiffs attorneys had not shown proof of defect or negligence by the company.
Ethicon, which has had more than 10,o00 lawsuits filed against it in the MDL, has maintained the mesh was safe and had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Goodwin rules for Johnson & Johnson in mesh MDL trial
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