Is there a lawsuit against Paragard?
Yes, thousands of people have filed lawsuits against Paragard alleging that its defective designs caused serious harms. Plaintiffs allege that the device has caused serious physical and mental health injuries, including nearly 20 deaths. The cases are consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) docket in federal court.
Is Paragard being recalled?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recalled Paragard IUDs or released plans to recall the devices. Despite that, there are multiple concerns for women’s health, serious injuries and numerous deaths associated with broken pieces of the device related to a possible design flaw.
The lack of recall may result in more women experiencing injuries and serious health conditions as a result of using the device.
What is the defect of the Paragard design?
The plaintiffs allege that the Paragard IUD has a serious design flaw. This flaw causes plastic pieces of the Paragard IUD to break off during removal. These sharp plastic pieces can become stuck in the user’s uterus, causing serious or life-threatening injuries.
In some cases, Paragard users required hysterectomies or other surgeries to remove these plastic pieces. In other cases, women suffered heavy bleeding after the IUD was removed. Cases filed within the MDL also allege that the manufacturers of Paragard didn’t disclose the risks associated with this potential design defect to users and their medical providers.
Is there a Paragard IUD class action lawsuit?
No, there isn’t a Paragard class action lawsuit. However, thousands of individual personal injury lawsuits have been filed in many states across the country and because of the large volume of cases they were consolidated for pretrial purposes into multidistrict litigation (MDL). These lawsuits aim to help affected Paragard users seek justice and compensation for their serious medical issues.
An MDL format differs from a class action format. Like class action suits, MDLs involve a number of individuals. However, there are technical differences. For example, plaintiffs’ cases within a MDL are filed and tried individually. In a class action, a few individuals file a case and represent a much larger group of impacted, injured or harmed individuals in the same situation.
The Paragard MDL comprises over 3,400 individual lawsuits. If the court or a jury rules in favor of one of the injured parties in an individual case, the lawsuit award will go only to that individual.