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Bard hernia mesh lawsuit
BD/Bard settled most of the hernia mesh litigation in October 2024; the federal MDL remains open with 23,316 actions pending as claims move through a settlement claims process. Federal lawsuits allege Davol/C.R. Bard polypropylene hernia mesh implants (Ventralex, PerFix, 3DMax, Composix and related devices) caused bowel obstruction, mesh migration and other injuries requiring revision surgery; BD announced a settlement of most of the litigation in October 2024.
The docket record
- Actions pending
- 23,316−5(-0.0%)
- Total actions, historical
- 25,213
- Change, 3 months
- −257(-1.1%)
- Change, 12 months
- −710(-3.0%)
- Docket
- MDL No. 2846
- Court
- Southern District of Ohio
- Transferee judge
- Edmund A. Sargus, JrU.S. District Judge
- Last report
- September 1, 2026
Source: JPML “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” report dated September 1, 2026 · first in our series Jan 2024
Month-by-month figures, Jan 2024 to Sep 2026
| Report date | Actions pending | Change | Total, historical | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | 23,316 | −5 | 25,213 | |
| August 3, 2026 | 23,321 | −61 | 25,189 | |
| July 1, 2026 | 23,382 | −191 | 25,181 | |
| June 1, 2026 | 23,573 | −130 | 25,171 | |
| May 1, 2026 | 23,703 | +10 | 25,149 | |
| April 1, 2026 | 23,693 | −2 | 25,135 | |
| March 2, 2026 | 23,695 | −33 | 25,115 | |
| February 2, 2026 | 23,728 | −21 | 25,106 | |
| January 5, 2026 | 23,749 | −69 | 25,100 | |
| December 2, 2025 | 23,818 | −114 | 25,090 | |
| November 3, 2025 | 23,932 | −72 | 25,070 | |
| October 1, 2025 | 24,004 | −22 | 25,061 | |
| September 2, 2025 | 24,026 | −3 | 25,054 | |
| August 1, 2025 | 24,029 | −21 | 25,042 | |
| July 1, 2025 | 24,050 | −24 | 25,037 | |
| June 2, 2025 | 24,074 | −4 | 25,015 | |
| May 1, 2025 | 24,078 | −2 | 25,009 | |
| April 1, 2025 | 24,080 | −3 | 25,001 | |
| March 3, 2025 | 24,083 | −19 | 24,994 | |
| February 3, 2025 | 24,102 | +1 | 24,982 | |
| January 2, 2025 | 24,101 | +1 | 24,977 | |
| December 2, 2024 | 24,100 | −15 | 24,972 | |
| October 1, 2024 | 24,115 | +99 | 24,971 | |
| September 3, 2024 | 24,016 | +26 | 24,849 | |
| August 1, 2024 | 23,990 | +349 | 24,816 | |
| July 1, 2024 | 23,641 | +745 | 24,443 | |
| June 3, 2024 | 22,896 | +640 | 23,695 | |
| May 1, 2024 | 22,256 | +583 | 23,051 | |
| April 1, 2024 | 21,673 | +411 | 22,455 | |
| March 1, 2024 | 21,262 | +93 | 22,020 | |
| February 1, 2024 | 21,169 | +196 | 21,906 | |
| January 2, 2024 | 20,973 | 21,693 |
Full docket title: IN RE: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation. Programmatic record page: MDL 2846.
Where it stands
On October 2, 2024, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), C.R. Bard's parent, announced it had reached an agreement to resolve the vast majority of its existing hernia mesh litigation, including cases centralized in MDL No. 2846 in the Southern District of Ohio and a related consolidated proceeding in Rhode Island state court. BD's press release did not disclose a total dollar figure; it said the settlement would be paid over a multi-year period from the company's existing product-litigation reserve and included no admission of liability. As of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's September 1, 2026 pending-cases report, 23,316 actions remain pending in MDL 2846 before Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., a slow decline from prior reports as settled claims are administered and resolved. Plaintiff-side sources report that a qualified settlement fund was established around September 2025 and that claims are being paid out in stages, with more complex claims expected to take longer; settlementrecord.com has not independently confirmed those process details from a court order or administrator source and flags them as unverified in research_notes. The litigation is not fully closed: the MDL docket remains active for cases outside the settlement and for administration of the settlement itself.
Sources: BD Reaches Agreement to Resolve Vast Majority of Hernia L… · MDL 2846: In re Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylen… · Pending Multidistrict Litigation report, September 1, 2026 · Pending MDL Dockets By District, September 1, 2026 (MDL 2…; full list at the end of this page.
What the lawsuits are about
Davol and its parent C.R. Bard make surgical mesh implants used to repair hernias, including the Ventralex, Ventralight ST, PerFix Plug, 3DMax and Composix Kugel product lines. The mesh is implanted, often laparoscopically, to reinforce the abdominal wall. Plaintiffs allege the polypropylene mesh and its coatings can degrade, shrink, migrate or adhere to internal organs and the bowel, causing chronic pain, bowel obstruction, infection, fistula formation and the need for additional revision surgery to remove or replace the mesh, and that Davol and Bard knew of these risks and did not adequately warn patients or surgeons.
individual hernia mesh lawsuits against Bard and Davol were filed in multiple federal districts starting in the mid-2010s. On August 2, 2018, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized the federal cases into MDL No. 2846, 'In re: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation,' in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, assigned to Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., with Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Jolson handling pretrial matters. A parallel, separately managed mass tort of hernia mesh claims proceeded in Rhode Island state court.
the MDL moved through several bellwether trials between 2021 and 2023 in advance of the October 2024 settlement announcement. Plaintiff-side sources report a defense verdict in the Johns bellwether (July 2021) and plaintiff verdicts in the Milanesi ($250,000, April 2022), Trevino ($4.8 million, August 2022) and Stinson ($500,000, November 2023) trials; settlementrecord.com has not independently verified these figures or confirmed which proceeding (federal MDL or Rhode Island state court) each trial was heard in, and flags that for review. On October 2, 2024, BD announced it had reached an agreement resolving the large majority of the hernia litigation, covering both the federal MDL and the Rhode Island proceeding, with terms kept confidential and payments made over a multi-year period. The MDL docket remains open past that announcement: as of September 1, 2026, 23,316 actions were still listed as pending before Judge Sargus, reflecting both the pace of claims administration under the settlement and any cases that fall outside it.
Injuries named in the filings
- Bowel obstruction
- Mesh migration
- Mesh erosion into the bowel or other organs
- Adhesion of mesh to internal organs or tissue
- Mesh shrinkage or contraction
- Chronic abdominal or groin pain
- Infection at the implant site
- Fistula formation
- Organ perforation
- Need for revision or removal surgery
Principal defendants: Davol, Inc.; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD).
Sources: BD Reaches Agreement to Resolve Vast Majority of Hernia L… · MDL 2846: In re Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylen… · Pending Multidistrict Litigation report, September 1, 2026 · Pending MDL Dockets By District, September 1, 2026 (MDL 2…; full list at the end of this page.
Who the filings say qualifies
Plaintiff-side sources tracking the October 2024 BD/Bard settlement describe eligibility as turning on documented proof of mesh implantation and, for higher compensation tiers, proof of a revision surgery to address a mesh-related complication; settlementrecord.com has not been able to independently confirm these criteria against a court order, class definition, or settlement administrator document, and this section should be treated as unverified pending that confirmation.
- Had a Davol/Bard polypropylene hernia mesh device implanted (such as Ventralex, Ventralight ST, PerFix Plug, 3DMax or Composix Kugel), documented by medical or implant records
- Developed a qualifying complication after implantation, such as bowel obstruction, mesh migration, mesh erosion, infection or chronic pain, as alleged in the MDL master complaint
- For higher settlement tiers described by plaintiff-side sources, underwent a revision surgery to remove, repair or replace the mesh because of a related complication, documented by surgical records
- Filed or joined a claim in MDL 2846 or the related Rhode Island consolidated proceeding before the relevant claims deadline; specific filing and proof deadlines have not been independently confirmed by settlementrecord.com
These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.
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Key dates
- The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralizes federal Davol/C.R. Bard polypropylene hernia mesh lawsuits into MDL No. 2846 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, before Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. source
- The Johns bellwether trial ends in a defense verdict, as reported by plaintiff-side sources; settlementrecord.com has not independently confirmed the venue (federal MDL vs. Rhode Island state proceeding) or exact date. source
- A jury returns a $250,000 plaintiff verdict in the Milanesi bellwether trial, as reported by plaintiff-side sources; venue and exact date not independently confirmed. source
- A jury returns a $4.8 million plaintiff verdict in the Trevino bellwether trial, as reported by plaintiff-side sources; venue and exact date not independently confirmed. source
- A jury returns a $500,000 plaintiff verdict in the Stinson bellwether trial, as reported by plaintiff-side sources; venue and exact date not independently confirmed. source
- Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announces it has reached an agreement to resolve the vast majority of its existing hernia mesh litigation, covering MDL 2846 and the related Rhode Island consolidated proceeding; terms are confidential, no dollar total is disclosed, and the settlement is funded from BD's existing product-litigation reserve and paid over a multi-year period. source
- A qualified settlement fund for the hernia mesh settlement is established, as reported by plaintiff-side sources; settlementrecord.com has not independently confirmed this from a court order. source
- The JPML's pending multidistrict litigation report lists 23,316 actions pending in MDL 2846, Southern District of Ohio, before Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., continuing a slow decline as claims are administered under the 2024 settlement. source
Questions people ask
Is the Bard hernia mesh lawsuit real?
Yes. Federal lawsuits over Davol/C.R. Bard polypropylene hernia mesh were centralized on August 2, 2018 into MDL No. 2846 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, before Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. As of the JPML's September 1, 2026 report, 23,316 actions remain pending in that MDL.
Has the Bard hernia mesh lawsuit settled?
BD, C.R. Bard's parent company, announced on October 2, 2024 that it had reached an agreement to resolve the vast majority of its hernia mesh litigation, covering both MDL 2846 and a related Rhode Island state court proceeding. BD's press release did not disclose a total dollar amount and stated the terms are confidential. The MDL docket itself remains open as settled claims are administered; 23,316 actions were still listed as pending as of September 2026.
How much is the Bard hernia mesh settlement worth?
BD has not publicly disclosed a total settlement amount. Its October 2, 2024 press release says only that the settlement falls within the company's existing product-litigation reserve and will be paid out over a multi-year period. Any specific per-claimant dollar figures circulating on other sites are not confirmed by BD's own statement, and settlementrecord.com does not publish payout estimates.
What products are covered by the Bard hernia mesh litigation?
The litigation covers Davol/C.R. Bard polypropylene hernia mesh devices, including the Ventralex, Ventralight ST, PerFix Plug, 3DMax and Composix Kugel product lines, implanted to repair hernias.
What do I need to show to qualify for the Bard hernia mesh settlement?
Plaintiff-side sources describe eligibility as requiring documented proof that a Davol/Bard mesh device was implanted, and, for higher compensation tiers, proof of a revision surgery performed to address a mesh-related complication such as bowel obstruction, migration or infection. Settlementrecord.com has not independently confirmed these criteria against a court-filed settlement agreement or administrator document, and anyone considering a claim should verify current criteria and deadlines with a qualified attorney or the settlement administrator.
Can I still file a Bard hernia mesh claim?
The MDL and the October 2024 settlement primarily cover claims already filed or pending as of the settlement. Whether a new claim can still be filed or joined depends on state statutes of limitation and any claims deadlines set under the settlement, which settlementrecord.com has not independently confirmed; consult a qualified attorney about current filing deadlines.
Sources: BD Reaches Agreement to Resolve Vast Majority of Hernia L… · MDL 2846: In re Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylen… · Pending Multidistrict Litigation report, September 1, 2026 · Pending MDL Dockets By District, September 1, 2026 (MDL 2…; full list at the end of this page.
Track this docket
We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.
Sources
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports January 2, 2024 to September 1, 2026. Transferee court: Southern District of Ohio, Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
- BD Reaches Agreement to Resolve Vast Majority of Hernia Litigation, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). Accessed September 3, 2026.
- MDL 2846: In re Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Pending Multidistrict Litigation report, September 1, 2026, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Pending MDL Dockets By District, September 1, 2026 (MDL 2846 line: 23,316 actions pending), U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Bard Hernia Mesh Lawsuit Settlement Update, Lawsuit Information Center (plaintiff-side). Accessed September 3, 2026.
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