Thousands of victims of defective breast implants manufactured in France should receive compensation, a Paris appeals court ruled after finding that German firm TUV Rheinland was negligent in awarding safety certificates.
The ruling may have implications for tens of thousands more victims from dozens of countries, from Britain to Latin America.
France24 reports that the case was brought by 2,700 women who said they suffered long-term physical and mental health problems after receiving the implants filled with cheap, industrial-grade silicone not cleared for human use.
The timing and amount of compensation is still to be determined, according to the PIP Implant World Victims Association (PIPA). In a statement, PIPA said damages amounting to tens of thousands of euros for each victim were being sought. A first ruling on compensation was expected in September.
The implants fraudulently manufactured by PIP were up to six times more likely to rupture than other implants, according to Britain's National Health Service. Silicone has also been found to have leached into the bodies of women whose implants had remained intact.
Victims had suffered auto-immune disease, cancer scares, and prolonged anxiety, while the incidence rate of autism among children who were breastfed by mothers with PIP implants was far higher than normal rates, PIPA said.
The founder of PIP (Poly Implant Prothese), Jean-Claude Mas, was jailed for four years and fined 75,000 euros in 2013.
"After 10 years of waiting and fierce combat, the German certifier will have to fully compensate the victims, said lawyer Olivier Aumaitre who represented the women.”
A spokesman for TUV Rheinland declined immediate comment on the judgement, saying the company first wanted to receive a translation and to study it.
Full France24 report (Open access)
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UK won’t join France and Australia in banning breast implants linked to cancer