W. Va. Federal Judge Dismisses Bellwether Ethicon Pelvic Repair Case 6 Days Into Trial

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — The judge presiding over the first Ethicon pelvic repair system multidistrict litigation case to go to trial has dismissed the action, finding the plaintiff failed to present sufficient evidence that the device’s allegedly defective design caused her injuries.

According to a one-page order issued Feb. 18, Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia orally granted Ethicon’s motion for judgment as a matter of law.

Carolyn Lewis sued Ethicon in July 2012, alleging various injuries caused by the Ethicon Gynecare TVT pelvic mesh device. Trial began on Feb. …