Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) reportedly agreed to settle a product liability lawsuit filed over its da Vinci robot-assisted surgery system by a woman who claimed it caused her injuries during a hysterectomy back in 2009.
A jury in San Jose, Calif., was in its 3rd day of deliberations after a 2-week trial in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County when the deal was struck, according to the Courtroom View Network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, the website reported.
Plaintiff Michelle Zarick alleged that an electrical surge through the scissor attachment used with Sunnvale, Calif.-based Intuitive’s da Vinci during her hysterectomy injured her bowel, CVN reported. The company argued that Zarick’s injuries were caused by having sex too soon after the procedure and by alleged physical abuse from her husband, according to the website.
Zarick originally sought $300 million including damages, but her lawyers asked for $30 million during the trial. Intuitive spokesman Justin Higgs told CVN that the company presented “strong” scientific evidence in the trial.
“The company stands behind our products and the work our employees do to advance high-quality minimally invasive surgery,” Higgs wrote in an email.
Zarick’s case was the 2nd da Vinci product liability case to go to trial; a Washington state jury found for the company in 2013. Another lawsuit, of the 20 or so other cases pending against Intuitive, is slated to go to trial next month, CVN reported.
