In an order submitted on November 27, Judge Richard Mills of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois denied Boston Scientific Corporation’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit involving complaints against its Greenfield IVC filter. The Illinois judge ruled that the plaintiff Patricia McDowell asserted plausible claims regarding design defect and inadequate warnings about the IVC filter's hazards.
As per the court order, Boston must face the lawsuit for negligent conduct, extensively marketing the device as safe to use, and failure to warn doctors about associated permanent risks of the blood-clot trapping filter.
In 2005, Boston Scientific recalled about 18,000 Greenfield filters following reports that the filter parts are prone to detach and cause heart or lung embolism. A 2016 publication regarding IVC filter complications stated perforation, migration, and fractures as possible adverse effects. About 9,000 lawsuits are filed against Cook Medical and C.R. Bard over complaints regarding their blood clot filter complications. There is no multidistrict litigation (MDL) formed for Greenfield filter lawsuits, but lawyers have filed individual cases across the nation.
