LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced that her office has taken action against Johnson & Johnson (J&J), suing the company for alleged false advertising and deceptive marketing of its surgical mesh products for women.
The lawsuit claims that the company failed to warn both patients and doctors of possible severe complications. California led a coalition of 46 states and the District of Columbia in the case. The coalition seeks injunctive relief and monetary penalties that will ensure J&J stops its alleged practices.
“Johnson & Johnson put millions of women at risk of severe health problems by failing to provide critical information to doctors and patients about its surgical mesh products,” Harris said. “Johnson & Johnson’s deception denied women the ability to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. My office will continue to hold companies accountable for misleading consumers and patients for financial gain.”
Surgical mesh is used to treat common health problems for women. These problems include stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. J&J sold 787,322 of these devices nationally between 2008 and 2014. This included 42,000 in California.