Judge Says — Settle Before Juries Award Billions in Bladder Sling cases

From a recent court transcript a judge managing the transvaginal mesh cases in a federal court in West Virginia has said to Bard, one of the mesh implant makers.

“I can’t imagine a corporation facing potentially billions of dollars in verdicts wouldn’t find it advisable to try to achieve a settlement for a much lesser sum,” U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in Charleston, West Virginia, said at a Dec. 9 hearing, according to a transcript. “I base that billions of dollars business on some of the rather large verdicts that we’ve had.”

In my own experience, I dont remember a time when a judge has done this. It has probably happened. There are always conversations like this that take place between lawyers and judges.  Meetings take place in preparation for court trials all the time.  It doesn’t surprise me that a judge would reach out to both parties and encourage them to sit down and talk.

That said it is interesting to me that this is done on the record in court and not just in chambers.

Source:  Claims Journal