In the legal battle against the German inspection body TÜV Rheinland, a French court decided on Thursday how much compensation it must pay to thirteen victims of leaking breast implants from the French manufacturer Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). The amounts to be paid can now serve as a reference in other court cases, victim organization Pipa announced.
The appeals court of the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence has ordered TÜV Rheinland to pay these victims (one Colombian, two Spanish, two British and eight Venezuelan women) damages ranging from 7,000 to 37,135 euros, with an average of 16,555 euros.
Since the case began thirteen years ago, various courts have already awarded compensation to victims, but it is “the first time that a court has ruled on definitive compensation”, according to the victim organization. But TÜV Rheinland itself sees this differently and awaits the ruling of the Court of Cassation on “the contradictory decisions of different courts of appeal”, Christelle Coslin, lawyer for the German inspection body, assured.
In 2010 it came to light that the French producer Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been using cheap and unapproved industrial silicone for breast implants for years, instead of expensive medical grade silicone. Worldwide, 400,000 women would have received such implants to replace tissue after breast cancer surgery or for breast augmentation.
TÜV approved PIP’s quality assurance procedures. The complainants therefore accused the body of negligence. TÜV argues that it was misled by PIP. PIP itself is no longer prosecuted because its founder, Jean-Claude Mas, died in 2019.
German certification company PIP breast implants must reimburse 1,600 women in France
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