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Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $15M in vaginal mesh case

The case, heard in Bergen County Superior Court, was one of 9,000 pending cases involving Ethicon pelvic mesh devices.

In this July 30, 2013, file photo, people walk along a corridor at the headquarters of Johnson &; Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J.
In this July 30, 2013, file photo, people walk along a corridor at the headquarters of Johnson &; Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J.Read moreFile

A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary was ordered Thursday to pay $15 million in damages to a New Jersey woman who was left in chronic pain after receiving defective transvaginal mesh implants.

The case, heard in Bergen County Superior Court, was one of 9,000 pending cases involving Ethicon pelvic mesh devices. In September, a Philadelphia jury awarded $57 million to a Pennsylvania woman who required three operations to remove the implants which left her chronically incontinent. The company is appealing that verdict.

The jury found that Ethicon failed to provide adequate warning about the risks associated with the polypropylene mesh, which plaintiff Elizabeth Hrymoc, now 71, had implanted in 2008 to treat pelvic organ prolapse.

"Unfortunately, her injuries are permanent," said Hrymoc's attorney Adam Slater, of Mazie, Slater, Katz and Freeman. "One of the fundamental and horrific defects with this device is the inability to successfully treat complications, and Elizabeth is a clear illustration of what happened to countless other women."

A spokeswoman for J&J was not immediately available for comment.