One of the lawsuits was filed by Nicole L., a woman from Colorado who was implanted with the Cook Celect® Vena Cava Filter at a hospital in Englewood in June 2008.
On June 8, 2016, she filed a lawsuit against Cook Medical in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana — Case No. 1:16-cv-01837.
Another lawsuit was filed by Reina A., a woman from Texas who was implanted with the Cook Günther Tulip® Vena Cava Filter at a hospital in San Antonio in May 2007.
On June 8, 2016, she filed a lawsuit against Cook Medical in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana — Case No. 1:16-cv-01838.
Both of the lawsuits were centralized with hundreds of other IVC filter lawsuits in Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2570) under U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.
The Günther Tulip and Celect are retrievable IVC filters that should be removed within 29-54 days after implantation, according to the FDA. The longer they remain implanted, the higher the risk of complications.
In April 2012, a study involving 50 people who were implanted with the Günther Tulip or Celect found that 40% of filters were tilted, 85% had perforated through the vena cava, and all of the filters had some degree of perforation through the vena cava.
The plaintiffs are represented by Ben C. Martin and Thomas Wm. Arbon of the Law Offices of Ben C. Martin in Dallas, Texas.