Guidant Heart Defibrillator manufacturer, Boston Scientific, settled about 4,000 patient lawsuits this week for $195 million, according to the New York Times. Those patients claimed that the corporation neglected to inform them of potential flaws in the heart device — at least seven people died following malfunctions caused by faulty insulation.
Though Guidant (which was bought by Boston Scientific in 2006), knew that the defibrillators were dangerous, they didn’t acknowledge it publicly until 2005, and continued selling the defective products in the interim. In total, more than 100,000 devices were eventually recalled. Guidant had held far more than the settlement amount in reserve explicitly to settle lawsuits related to the defibrillator defects.
We previously posted an article on the D.C.Medical Malpractice Blog when Guidant settled the fraud suit regarding the defibillator devices in September, 2006.
If you or a family member believes that you have a case involving a defective medical device, please contact us on-line at Regan Zambri & Long or call us at (202) 463-3030 for a free consultation. If you would like to receive our complimentary electronic newsletter, please click here.