We surmise that many California readers of our Los Angeles legal malpractice blogs at Glickman & Glickman are not strangers to the material details surrounding the long and sad saga of pelvic mesh litigation.
For close to a decade now, a handful-plus of mesh makers have been assailed by an avalanche of state and federal lawsuits from women who cite a direct nexus between surgically implanted mesh and resulting pelvic prolapse injuries.
A recent New York Times article calls the mesh litigation “one of the largest mass tort cases in history.” More than 100,000 litigants have lined up against companies like Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific. Reportedly, awarded damages could exceed $10 billion.
And now there is a new mesh-linked twist, namely this: Many plaintiffs are filing lawsuits against the attorneys who represented them against the mesh makers. State and federal filings allege lawyers’ malpractice acts that have resulted in both unlawfully high billings and missed filing deadlines. One complaint lodged just last week is potentially a class action lawsuit that could ultimately feature as many as 1,400 plaintiffs.
The in-depth Times piece notes the adverse glare that now frames select law firms and attorneys. It notes “the bad practices that can occur in mass tort cases,” with lawyers scurrying to attract as many clients as possible, even to the point of becoming overloaded.
Glickman & Glickman attorneys work diligently and passionately on behalf of victims who are injured by negligence and malfeasance. Individuals and their families have a right to receive competent and focused help from their retained attorneys when they face a legal challenge. When their advocates perform in a substandard manner, injured parties might reasonably want to secure proven legal help aimed at a maximum money recovery.