Breast Implant Class Action

A new wave of lawsuits accuses manufacturers of selling defective breast implants after the FDA lifted a 14-year ban in 2006. A massive $4 billion class action settlement was paid to approximately 450,000 women who were injured breast implants in the 1990s.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting breast implant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or had a doctor suggest breast implant removal because of a predisposition of cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Cancer Victims file Breast Implant Class Action in California

In August 2019, two women who were diagnosed with cancer filed a Class Action (PDF) against Allergan in California. Both of the women were forced to pay out-of-pocket for surgery to remove and replace their recalled implants. They accuse Allegan of failing to warn women and doctors about the cancer risks, despite strong evidence dating back to 2011.

FDA Issued Safety Warnings in 2011

Here is an FDA video from 2011 when there were only 60 reports of ALCL worldwide and doctors were still investigating the risk. There are now over 573+ cases of ALCL linked to breast implants worldwide:

RECALL: Allergan Breast Implants Recalled for Deadly Cancer Risk

In July 2019, Allergan issued a worldwide recall for all BIOCELL® textured breast implants after the FDA linked the implants to a 6-fold increased risk of cancer and dozens of deaths.

The implants are linked to Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare type of breast cancer that is more likely to occur with textured breast implants. Breast implants are now linked to 33 deaths and 573 known cases of ALCL, including 481 cases linked to Allergan’s recalled breast implants.

Allergan will stop selling the following textured breast implants:

Textured Natrelle Inspira Breast Implants
Natrelle 410 Breast Implants
BRST Breast Implants
Allergan Tissue Expanders 133Plus

$4 Billion Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

Dow Corning Corp. went out of business after several multimillion-dollar jury verdicts in Texas and other states, plus a $4 billion class action lawsuit settlement with 450,000 women who were injured by leaking silicone breast implants in the 1980s and 1990s.

Breast Implant Lawsuit Settlement Amounts

Despite the manufacturer’s bankruptcy, a $3.2 billion settlement agreement in 1998 provided base payouts of approximately $26,000 ($20,000 for a ruptured implant and $5,000 for surgery to remove it) plus compensation between $10,000 and $250,000 for injuries associated with “silicon sickness.”

Problems With Silicone Breast Implants

Thousands of women in Europe were injured by PIP breast implants made with toxic industrial silicone. Those implants were not sold in the U.S. because the FDA banned silicone gel-filled implants in 1992 and rejected the French manufacturer’s approval application in 2000.

FDA Lifts 14-Year Ban on Breast Implants

The FDA lifted the 14-year ban in 2006, allowing two American medical device companies — Mentor Worldwide and Allergan Inc. — to return silicone breast implants to the market. On condition of approval, the FDA required each company to conduct 6 long-term safety studies tracking over 100,000 women for 10 years. Unfortunately, the safety studies were so bad that results are useless.

So What Happened?

Mentor Worldwide was supposed to track 80,000 women for 10 years, but “lost track” of 79% of women with their silicone breast implants within 3 years. Allergan did not do much better — 40% of women who enrolled in their 10-year safety study dropped out within 2 years.

Studies Worthless for Rare Side Effects

Due to the dropout rate, these studies are worthless for investigating some of the rarest but most concerning potential side effects that were reported by thousands of women — cancer, reproductive disorders, and connective tissue diseases.

Possible Safety Risks of Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone sickness
Breast pain
Connective Tissue Disease (CTD)
Autoimmune diseases
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL)
Chronic fatigue and weakness
Metal poisoning in the bloodstream
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Systemic sclerosis
And more

What is the problem?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm, but we are not filing a silicone breast implant class action. Instead, we are filing individual personal injury lawsuits for women who experienced “silicone sickness” from leaking breast implants.

Types of Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants

Allergan Natrelle
Allergan Natrelle Cohesive Gel Anatomic Implants
Mentor MemoryGel
Mentor MemoryShape
Sientra Silicone Gel Breast Implants

About Class Actions

Class actions are not the most popular way to resolve large numbers of injury lawsuits involving medical devices. In recent decades, it has become far more common for lawyers to file individual lawsuits. Class actions are efficient, but they are not designed to maximize compensation — instead, everyone in the class shares the payout.

Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action

Our lawyers specialize in filing individual lawsuits against corporations that profit off selling defective medical devices. If you were injured by a defective breast implant that leaked silicone into your body, you are not alone. If you file a lawsuit, we may be able to help you seek compensation for your medical expense, long-term injuries, and more.

Do I have a Breast Implant Lawsuit?

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