Trial Begins in Calif. Attorney General’s Pelvic Mesh Action Against J&J, Ethicon

SAN DIEGO — Trial has begun in a lawsuit in which the California attorney general is accusing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon of deceptively marketing its surgical mesh devices as safe while concealing a host of serious risks and complications, including permanent disability.

The lawsuit, brought by California Attorney General Xavier Bercerra in the San Diego County Superior Court, seeks damages under California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws. The action arises from the sale of 42,000 Ethicon pelvic mesh devices in the state from 2008 to 2014.

Judge Eddie Sturgen is presiding over the trial, which …