Saturday, March 06, 1999
Bad pacemakers cost firm $70 million
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A four-year battle over defective heart pacemakers ended Friday with a settlement that requires the manufacturer to pay nearly $70 million.
The agreement, approved by U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel, will benefit as many as 20,000 heart patients who have the devices.
Cincinnati attorney Stan Chesley, who filed the class-action lawsuit, said patients will receive a lifetime of medical care.
“What we're really looking at is a giant insurance policy to protect these people,” Mr. Chesley said.
The lawsuit alleged that the pacemakers contain J-shaped metal wires that could break through a plastic cover and pierce the heart.
The manufacturer now must:
• Pay $500 to everyone with the pacemaker and cover the cost of two medical exams a year.
• Pay between $4,500 and $100,000 to those who have suffered related injuries.
• Pay between $200,000 and $1 million to the families of patients whose deaths have been tied to the pacemaker.
• Please see story, Metro, B1
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