Breast implant side effects resulted in one of the largest class action settlements in U.S. history in 1998, when $3.2 billion was paid to 450,000 women. Recent lawsuits accuse manufacturers of selling defective implants after the FDA lifted a 14-year ban in 2006.
Need a Texas Breast Implant Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or had a doctor suggest breast implant removal because of a predisposition to cancer, you should contact us you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
UPDATE: Cancer Victims file Breast Implant Class Action
In August 2019, two women with breast implant-associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) filed a class action lawsuit in California after Allergan recalled their Biocell® textured breast implants. The lawsuit accuses Allergan of failing to pay for surgery to remove the recalled implants.
Allergan Recalls Breast Implants Due to Cancer Risk
In July 2019, Allergan recalled BIOCELL® textured breast implants in the U.S. after the FDA linked the implants with 33 deaths, 573 cases of a rare but aggressive cancer called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL).
What is the Risk?
The FDA linked the recalled implants to a 6-fold increased risk of ALCL compared to other types of breast implants.
List of Allergan’s Recalled Breast Implants
Allergan recalled Biocell® breast implants worldwide, including:
- Textured Natrelle Inspira Breast Implants
- Natrelle 410 Breast Implants
- BRST Breast Implants
- Allergan Tissue Expanders 133Plus
FDA Warning: Breast Implants and Lymphoma
As of September 2019, the FDA reported over 457 cases of Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) in women with breast implants, including 9 women who died. Unlike most types of breast cancer, ALCL is a rare but fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that occurs in white blood cells. These cells are responsible for fighting off “foreign invaders.”
Symptoms of Breast Implant Cancer
- Breast pain
- Breast swelling or asymmetry
- Lumps on the breast
- Seroma (fluid buildup in the breast)
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Painless swelling in the armpit, neck or groin
- Enlarged lymph nodes
$4 Billion Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
In 1995, Dow Corning Corp. offered to pay $4 billion to resolve a class action lawsuit involving around 450,000 women who claimed to have suffered “silicone sickness” and other illnesses from breast implants.
Settlement Amounts for Breast Implant Lawsuits
The cost of resolving the litigation sent Dow Corning into bankruptcy, but in 1998, lawyers worked out a $3.2 billion settlement that provided base payouts of around $26,000, plus up to $250,000 for illnesses.
FDA Lifts 14-Year Ban on Silicone Breast Implants
The FDA banned silicone gel-filled breast implants in 1992 after manufacturers failed to provide enough data on long-term safety. This was a good thing — and it likely saved thousands of women in the U.S. from being injured in the PIP breast implant scandal in Europe.
In 2006, the FDA agreed to lift its 14-year ban to allow two American companies — Mentor Worldwide and Allergan Inc. — to return silicone breast implants to the marketplace. As a condition of approval, the FDA required each company to conduct 6 safety studies for 10 years.
So What Happened?
Unfortunately, both companies had serious problems completing the studies. Mentor was supposed to track 80,000 women for 10 years, but 79% of women who enrolled at the beginning of the study dropped out within 3 years. Allergan “lost track” of 40% of women in 2 years.
Safety Studies Worthless for Rare Side Effects
The low participation rate makes the studies essentially worthless for detecting side effects — especially rare side effects that the FDA was most concerned about, like cancer and connective tissue disease. The result has been a new wave of breast implant lawsuits. Women accuse the companies of inadequately testing high-risk breast implants for safety, selling defective devices, and failing to warn about side effects.
Possible Risks of Silicone Breast Implant
- Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL)
- Silicone sickness
- Breast pain
- Connective Tissue Disease (CTD)
- Autoimmune diseases
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Chronic fatigue and weakness
- Metal poisoning in the bloodstream
- Toxic Shock Syndrome
- Systemic sclerosis
- And more
What is the problem?
The Clark Firm LLP is nationally recognized as a class action law firm in Texas, but our lawyers are not filing a breast implant class action. Instead, we are filing individual lawsuits on behalf of women who experienced side effects of silicone from leaking breast implants.
About Class Actions
Class actions resolve a large number of legal claims all at once. They are very useful for helping people get refunds, for example, but in recent decades they have fallen out of favor for people with injuries.
Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action
Most lawsuits involving serious injuries from defective medical devices are not resolved through class actions anymore. The problem is that class actions are not designed to maximize compensation for serious injuries. Instead, everyone in the class action shares the payout.
Our lawyers file individual lawsuits so we can focus on helping people with the most serious injures. If you were injured by a defective implant, you could qualify to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for your illness, medical bills, permanent injuries, lost income, and more.
Need a Breast Implant Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our Texas breast implant lawyers for a free lawsuit review.
To contact us for a free review of your potential case, please fill out the form below or call us toll free 24 hrs/day by dialing: