In This Section
PUNITIVE DAMAGES FORCE RECALL OF DALKON SHIELD IUD
Eight punitive damages awards spurred the A.H. Robins Company to recall the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device (IUD).
In one case, a 27-year-old woman suffered a severe pelvic infection requiring a hysterectomy after wearing an IUD for several years. After the surgery, the woman's marriage disintegrated and she divorced. She must take synthetic hormones that increase her risk of developing endometrial cancer.
Evidence established that Robins had known its IUD was associated with a high rate of pelvic disease and septic abortion, that it had misled doctors about the device's safety, and that it had dropped or concealed studies on the device when the results were unfavorable.
See, e.g., Tetuan v. A.H. Robins Co., 738 P.2d 1210 (Kan. 1987).
3350 Centennial Tower
101 Marietta Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 522-8487
Fax: (404) 522-3705
About Us
Since 1956, GTLA has worked tirelessly to ensure that everyday citizens, Georgia families and small businesses are never deprived of their constitutional guarantee of access to true justice. The Mission of GTLA is simple: We are dedicated to protecting the Constitutional promise of justice for all by guaranteeing the right to trial by jury, preserving an independent judiciary, and providing access to the courts for all Georgians.