So, does this mean all those lawsuits against Dow get thrown out? Do the people have to give the money back?
Just wondering…are the makers of these things now shielded from lawsuits?
The previous lawsuits were decided by juries. Juries are not beholden to science.
Talk shows of the time played it for all it was worth. Some women were so scared they cut implants out at home by themselves. It was a horror and untrue.
Or indeed, even marginally educated in it. Similarly for statistics, history, et cetera. There was never any causal or statistically valid evidence that silicone from leaky implants was responsible for any of the multitude of symptoms blamed on it.
Cite? Cutting out a breast implant–which is supposed to become embedded in the breast tissue to render it immobile–would be a horrifically bloody and painful operation. I doubt anyone who wasn’t already prone to gross self-multilation would ever attempt such a procedure.
Stranger
Here you go, Stranger.
Well, that’s pretty much it, in a nutshell. If there were any true “justice” in our justice system, Dow Corning would be able to file a class action lawsuit against it and recoup the billions that were, for all practical purposes, extorted from it as the price for positive public relations.
But, you know, say that aloud, and you’re a male chauvinist lover of rapacious for-profit medicine. Never mind the hoards of plastic surgeons waiting to capitalize on the vanity and dysmorphia of millions of women who can’t be happy with anything less than a triple-D cup. And tough luck to that tiniest fraction seeking treatment for an understandably troubling disfigurement. The whole thing stank on ice from the beginning.
Don’t blame the juries for that, though. Blame the judges who permit junk science to get to juries, or the lawyers who fail to explain their cases to juries.
A judge is empowered to prevent juries from hearing irrelevant evidence and junk science, but too often I think judges prefer simply to let the jury take it all in. If the jury ultimately reaches the “right” decision, regardless of the irrelevant evidence it heard, then the judge is bullet proof on appeal. Okay. Off my soapbox now. 
Probably not. I haven’t followed implant litigation very closely, so I’m not sure what theories plaintiffs have used to succeed, but this development could be helpful to defendants in arguing that their product is safe: if it were unsafe, would the FDA, after extensive testing and examination, permit its continued use? But in my opinion this is not in and of itself sufficient to preclude further lawsuits over implants.
Nope. Once a lawsuit is resolved, even if it’s resolved wrongly, it’s final. (There are exceptions involving fraud on the court, but otherwise, no [and sometimes even those who’ve committed fraud on the court – think asbestosis/silicosis plaintiffs in the South – get to keep their money].) One of the most important tenets in the law is finality, so the plaintiffs who already have won cases get to keep their money.
Can we also throw some blame at the FDA? Seeing as how they banned them from the market based on the jury awards. This is a clear case of the FDA bowing to political pressure rather than science.
The silicone breast implants were not responsible for the connective-tissue disorders that were ascribed to it at the time, but there were problems with the implant’s envelope breaking and the silicone leaking out, causing a mess to clean up, involving more surgery and the associated risk with that.
Saline implants also rupture, and the saline solution simply leaks out and gets absorbed by the body, then there is more surgery to follow to remove the envelope and probably replace it with a new implant.
A few months ago, my wife got silicone implants made from a “cohesive gel” which won’t leak out even if the envelope ruptures.
They should make 'em outta Kevlar so at least they have some body-armor properties.
How about pneumatic breast implants? You could implant a bag with an external valve-you could pump in air to get the desired boob size-and bleed off pressure (if smaller boobs become fashionable)!
I oughtta make a MILLION on this!! 
I’ve heard they already exist. Then again, that could just have been a rumor inspired by Lil’ Kim’s endlessly-changing knockers.
…little boobs back in style? You HERETIC!