Hernia Repair Mesh Lawsuit Proceeds in Calif. Against Integra LifeSciences

SAN DIEGO — A California federal judge has refused to dismiss a negligent manufacturing defect claim in a lawsuit targeting Integra Lifesciences’ hernia repair device, ruling that the plaintiff adequately pled that high levels of bacteria in the product she received caused her to sustain bowel injuries.

In a June 28 order, Judge Janis Sammartino of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California ordered the defendants to answer the plaintiff’s third amended complaint within 21 days.

Michelle Kinnee was implanted with the SurgiMend Collagen Matrix on April 26, 2017, during a ventral hernia repair. Three years later, …