Thousands of women who were victims of the PIP breast implant scandal should receive compensation, a French court has found.
Women involved in the case after being given implants filled with cheap, industrial-grade silicone said they are elated and exhausted after 10 years of fighting for justice.
The court decision could have far-reaching implications for thousands of other victims around the world.
Around 300,000 women in some 65 countries, including around 47,000 in the UK, are affected.
The case involved 2,700 claimants and the appeal court also upheld an earlier judgement finding German safety body TUV Rheinland negligent.
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(Image: REUTERS)
TUV said it had acted “diligently”, and that women must prove they had a PIP implant to be entitled to compensation.
It awarded safety certificates for faulty breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP).
Jan Spivey, one of 540 British women involved in the case, was given PIP implants after she had a mastectomy due to breast cancer.
She developed aching joints, pain and fatigue after having the implants. Once they were removed she said it was clear they had been leaking silicone into her body.
After hearing the decision, she said she was “elated and exhausted”, adding: “It’s been a very long journey.
“We’ve been in and out of court, and that’s been really difficult for women.
“We’ve got health issues and we’ve got lots of other responsibilities too – PIP has had an impact on the whole of our lives.”
The scandal emerged in 2010 after doctors noticed abnormally high rupture rates in women with the implants which had used silicone not suitable for use in humans.
Nicola Mason has been left with a lump of silicone under her arm after her implant ruptured, added: “We have been waiting a long time for this.
“Whilst it will never compensate us for the potential long-term health issues that we have, at least it might go some way to paying us back the money we have had to pay out to repair the damage they have left us with.”
Gail Coxon, another woman involved in the case, said: “I can’t explain it, I have burst into tears I don’t know how many times this morning.
“It’s just a huge sense of relief, you finally feel that we have been listened to and that’s the biggest thing.”
(Image: Collect Unknown)
Thursday’s ruling, which might not be final and could go to a higher court, was announced by France-based association PIPA, which represents victims.
Olivier Aumaitre, the lawyer representing the 2,700 women who brought the case, said at a news conference it was “clearly a historical day for PIP breast implant victims all over the world and for women’s rights”.
The ruling could have implications for other victims involved in separate legal actions.
PIPA said the amount of compensation is still to be determined.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
PIP was liquidated in 2010 and its founder Jean-Claude Mas was later given a four-year prison sentence. He died in 2019.
TUV defence lawyers suggested the firm was targeted as a scapegoat because it was solvent.
They said they disagreed with the French court’s decision for holding the company liable, “even partly”.
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“The evidence in this case clearly shows that TÜV Rheinland acted diligently, in compliance with applicable regulations,” they said.
At no time, the company said, had it been aware that breast implants manufactured by PIP were not compliant.