Cases That Made A Difference

Punitive Damages Force Recall of Dalkon Shield IUD

Eight punitive damages awards spurred the A.H. Robins Company to recall the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device (IUD).

In one case, a 27-year-old woman suffered a severe pelvic infection requiring a hysterectomy after wearing an IUD for several years. After the surgery, the woman's marriage disintegrated and she divorced. She must take synthetic hormones that increase her risk of developing endometrial cancer.

Evidence established that Robins had known its IUD was associated with a high rate of pelvic disease and septic abortion, that it had misled doctors about the device's safety, and that it had dropped or concealed studies on the device when the results were unfavorable.

See, e.g., Tetuan v. A.H. Robins Co., 738 P.2d 1210 (Kan. 1987).