$30 Million to Be Paid Out By Manufacturer of Defective Heart Devices

 Posted on October 23, 2013 in Defective Medical Devices

Boston Scientific, a medical device manufacturer, and its subsidiary company, Guidant, has been ordered by the US Justice Department to pay out over $30 million to settle charges that the company knowingly sold defective heart devices that were used in Medicare recipients.

According to an article by the Mississippi Sun Herald, the US Justice department claimed that the company knew there was a problem and was taking corrective action to fix it. However, at the same time, the company continued to sell selective products. Additionally, while the company was under investigation for faulty device manufacturing, it took steps to cover up the problem from patients.

While this lawsuit was a criminal matter, it may become important in future civil lawsuits as well. This establishes that Boston Scientific may have been intentionally placing defective medical devices into the marketplace.

Defective Medical Devices: A Violation of a Duty

Medical device manufacturers have a duty to ensure that the products they send to market are effective and safe. When a manufacturer fails to take these precautions, patients who use their devices can suffer devastating injuries or even death. In these cases, the law provides for a mechanism to hold the manufacturer of the faulty device accountable; this is called product liability.

Product Liability Cases

In the medical field, product liability cases can range from defective medical devices to defective drugs to everything in between. The bottom line is that a company is making money off of a product that is unsafe and causes others harm. The case against the company gets even stronger when, like what happened above, there is some evidence to show that the company knew the devices were faulty and took steps to cover up the problems.

Have You Been Injured By a Faulty Medical Device?

If you or a loved one have been recently injured by what you believe was a defective medical device, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out what rights you have, and whether you need to act to preserve these rights, you should consult with an experienced products liability lawyer immediately.

Click here to schedule a free initial consultation online, or call 847-797-8000 to set up a meeting with one of our experienced Illinois defective products attorneys.