Ill. Federal Jury Awards $55,000 to Plaintiff in Ethicon Gynecare TVT Action

CHICAGO — An Illinois federal jury has awarded the plaintiff in an Ethicon Gynecare TVT Obturator System action $55,000 in compensatory damages after determining that Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson negligently misrepresented the device’s safety.

However, in the Aug. 24 verdict, the jury found in favor of defendants on the plaintiff’s claims of negligence and strict liability. Judge Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois presided over the trial, which began on Aug. 15.

In 2005, Rocio Herrera-Nevarez was implanted with a TVT-O device to treat stress urinary incontinence. In October 2008, the FDA issued …