Family Files Lawsuit After Infant’s Botched Circumcision

April 23, 2015 — A lawsuit (PDF) has been filed on behalf of a child whose penis was partially amputated during a botched circumcision using a Mogen Clamp.

The lawsuit was filed yesterday in Philadelphia against three Pennsylvania-based companies that sold the clamp, including Misdom-Frank Corp., Sklar Corp., and Medco Group, Inc.

The companies are accused of failing to recall the clamp, put out warnings to doctors, or change the design. It allegedly has the following defects:

1. There is no protection or shield/bell for the head of the penis.
2. A doctor can’t see the head of the penis when applying the scalpel to the foreskin.

According to the lawsuit:

“The Mogen Clamp, unlike other circumcision devices, has a long history of penile amputations. In fact, though the Mogen Clamp comprises a small percentage of the circumcision market, it accounts for the majority of penile amputations.”

$11 Million Botched Circumcision Lawsuit

This is not the first time lawsuits have been files on behalf of boys who were injured during circumcisions using the Mogen Clamp. In 2010, a judge approved an $11 million judgment on behalf of an infant who lost then entire head (glans) of his penis after it was amputated in the jaws of the clamp.

However, it is unclear whether they will ever collect damages because Mogen Circumcision Instruments want out of business. The company was already in default on another $7.5 million judgement in 2007 from a lawsuit in Massachusetts, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

FDA Warning for Circumcision Amputations

In 2000, the FDA issued a Safety Communication and warned that the clamp may allow too much tissue to be drawn through the opening of the device, thus facilitating the removal of an excessive amount of foreskin and in some cases, a portion of the glans penis.

According to the FDA:

“We received 105 reports of injuries involving circumcision clamps between July 1996 and January 20001. These have included laceration, hemorrhage, penile amputation, and urethral damage.”