Change urged in breast implant settlement

Abstract

The federal judge overseeing the global settlement of silicone breast implant class-action claims has asked both claimants and participating companies to modify the $4.2 billion agreement because of the high number of claims. Nearly 400,000 women have registered as or potential claimants. Study of a sample of claims suggests that $1.2 billion allocated to current disease will be too little to cover approved claims and could lead to reduced payments, says Judge Sam C. Pointer Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Under the compensation schedule, plaintiffs would receive between $140,000 and $1.4 million, depending on age and specific disorder attributed to implants. The total amount needed to fulfill claims is likely to substantially exceed $1.2 billion, Pointer says. The judge has asked the companies participating in the settlement—including Dow Corning, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baxter Healthcare, 3M, and Union Carbide—to meet with claimants to ...