C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) is reportedly close to settling a suit filed in West Virginia federal court by a woman who claimed she was injured by the company’s pelvic-mesh device, Avaulta Plus.
According to Law360, recent court papers indicate the two parties have a settlement pending in the case, which has been removed from the active docket. A trial had been slated to begin in February.
About 70,000 cases involving pelvic-mesh devices have been compiled before a federal district court in Charleston, W. Va. Bard is the defendant in approximately 10,000 of the cases. The remainder were filed against Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX).
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin, who is overseeing the litigation in W. Va., urged the parties to settle, stating that it would take decades for all of the cases to reach trial. The judge likewise praised device maker Endo International, which faced roughly 10,000 cases, for settling last year.
Goodwin reportedly advised Bard to settle its cases during a court hearing in December.