VAR, FRANCE – A French court on Friday ordered German safety certifier TUV to pay €60 million ($64 million) in compensation to 20,000 women who received defective breast implants that the group had approved.
TUV Rheinland was ordered to make a provisional payment of €3,000 to each plaintiff for certifying that implants made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) met safety standards.
In the far-reaching health scandal, the devices were later found to contain substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel that was seven times cheaper than medical-grade silicone.
“The final amount will be determined after an assessment, but (TUV) is required to make a provisional payment of €3,000” per person, said Laurent Gaudon, a lawyer representing 7,000 women.
Another lawyer, Olivier Aumaitre, representing about 13,000 women, praised the commercial court in the southern port of Toulon for a ruling he said was inevitable given “TUV’s glaring negligence.”
Cecile Derycke, TUV’s lawyer, said the firm will appeal the latest ruling in a long-running saga.
