|
 The case was brought by 2,700 women who said they had suffered
long-term health problems after receiving the implants made by PIP
(Poly Implant Prothese) which were filled with cheap,
industrial-grade silicone not cleared for human use.
"It's a relief," one victim who identified herself as Christine told
a news conference. "The legal process ends today but it doesn't end
here for my health. I still have silicone in my body."
TUV Rheinland has previously disputed the liability. A spokesman
declined immediate comment on the judgment, saying the company
wanted first to receive a translation and to study it.
The ruling could have implications for thousands more women from
dozens of countries around the world who received PIP implants.
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 ranging between 20,000 and 70,000
euros were being sought for each victim. A first ruling on
compensation was expected in September.
"We are delighted with this outcome which definitively puts an end
to the doubts about TUV's responsibility," said lawyer Olivier
Aumaitre who represented the women on behalf of PIPA.
COMPENSATION CLAIMS
PIP folded when the scandal erupted in 2010. Its founder,
Jean-Claude Mas, was jailed for four years and fined 75,000 euros
($82,500) in 2013.
At the time Mas told the police investigation his employees would
remove evidence of the industrial silicone gel before TUV Rheinland
made its annual inspections.
[to top of second column] |
 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.
Aumaitre said the court's ruling meant that TUV's negligence left it
solely responsible for paying damages.
"After 10 years of waiting and fierce combat, the German certifier
will have to fully compensate the victims," said Aumaitre.
PIPA is seeking compensation for some 20,000 victims and say more
women, from Britain to Colombia, could come forward to demand
compensation in French courts. Thursday's ruling paved the way for
many more successful claims, the lawyer said.
(Reporting by Matthieu Protard and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Writing by
Richard Lough; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
