Judge lets surgeon sue breast implant makers

Abstract

Silicone breast implant makers already confronting billions of dollars in costs to compensate women who allege the implants made them ill may now face additional claims from plastic surgeons. A New York state judge has ruled for the first time in the U.S. that a physician may sue implant manufacturers under consumer fraud laws to recoup alleged damages to his The decision not only opens the door to thousands of similar suits against implant makers, but also may allow physicians to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers for damages to their practice stemming from manufacturers' misrepresentation of drugs. Judge John Leone of the New York Supreme Court for Richmond County, the Staten Island borough of New York City, allowed a New York City plastic surgeon to proceed with his suit alleging damage to his reputation, loss of patients due to negative perception of breast implant procedures, and economic harm to the growth of his practice. The surgeon ...