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Shine Justice (ASX:SHJ) wins case against Johnson & Johnson after appeal dismissed

Consumer
ASX:SHJ      MCAP $134.2M
05 March 2021 13:00 (AEST)

Legal services company Shine Justice (SHJ) has welcomed a ruling by the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia.

Several years ago, a Shine Justice subsidiary, Shine Lawyers, lodged a class action against Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries Ethicon Sàrl, Ethicon Inc, and Johnson & Johnson Medical. The class action was brought on behalf of Kathryn Gill, Diane Dawson, and Ann Sanders, as well as the group members they represented. 

The applicants and group members were surgically implanted with defective medical devices, such as vaginal mesh and tape implants. These defective devices, which were manufactured and sold by the Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries, caused the patients to suffer significant and often life-altering complications. 

The class action began in 2012, with the trial running from July 2017 to February 2018. The Federal Court ruled in favour of Shine Lawyers’ clients in November 2019 and found the Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries to be liable. However, Ethicon Sàrl, Ethicon Inc, and Johnson & Johnson Medical appealed the Court’s decision.

That appeal has now been dismissed by the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia.

This dismissal will allow Shine Justice’s clients to finally secure damages for their injuries and complications. Shine Justice’s Head of Class Actions, Jan Saddler, commented that the company welcomes the Full Court’s decision to dismiss this challenge.

“The decision will deliver justice for thousands of women who have been left with life-altering complications,” she said.

“No amount of money can fully compensate them , but this outcome provides long-awaited accountability and vindication for their claims,” she added.

Shine Justice is up 4.44 per cent, trading at 94 cents per share at 11:19 am AEDT.

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