FBI Investigates Claims That J&J Knew About Morcellator Cancer Risks In 2006

May 29, 2015 – – Houston, TX – May 28, 2015

Today, many news sources including the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), CBS, and Good Morning America have reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating one of the largest manufacturers of the power morcellator, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) amid allegations that the company knew as early as 2006, that their laporscopic tool, the power morcellator, had a high risk of spreading uterine cancer in those that had a hysterecomy or myomectomy.

The Problem With The Power Morcellator

The power morcellator is a tool used by surgeons in minimally invasive hysterectomy and fibroid mass removal surgeries. The tool is used to grind the fibroid tissue masses that require hysterectomies, and then a vacuum is used to remove the fibroid tissues. However, the procedure can result in the spreading of the undetected cancerous fibroid tissues in the body, which can result in a more aggressive or fatal form of sarcoma.

According to the the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the power morcellator is used in approximately 60,000 surgical procedures each year and that 1 in every 350 cases involve tissues that contain undetected cancer, which is then spread by the procedure. In April 2014 the morcellator was pulled by J&J and the FDA has issued a black box warning, stating that the morcellator should not be used in the vast majority of hysterectomies.

The FBI Investigation Of the Power Morcellator

News of the investigation was welcomed by personal injury and product defect attorney Sean Tracey from the law firm of Tracey & Fox.

“If the FBI’s investigation concludes that J&J knew about these serious risks posed by its own product, and chose to ignore those risks from 2006 until April 2014, it will be crushing to those families to know that their situation could have been avoided. They deserve justice”, commented Tracey.

While J&J have denied that they are aware of the investigation, and the FBI have not commented on the pending investigation, the news broke on the WSJ, CBS, and Good Morning America. Reporters were aware that three individuals were being interviewed by the FBI.

The three being interviewed are:

1) a retired pathologist who in 2006 brought the risks to the attention of J&J;

2) a doctor and mother of 5 whose leiomyosarcoma was spread after a hysterectomy; and

3) a woman from California that has contact information and details of at least 400 families that have been harmed by the power morcellator.

Morcellator Lawsuits Being Filed

This news comes amid the filing of many morcellator lawsuits alleging that J&J failed to warn, and put into the marketplace a product that was not fit for use. Many of these lawsuits involve women who had a surgical procedure where the laparoscopic morcellator was used to grind up fibroid tissues, which were in fact cancerous, and spread causing the cancer to metastasize.

About Tracey & Fox

Tracey & Fox is a personal injury law firm with locations in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, Texas. The firm is representing many families and victims of uterine cancer that allege their condition was caused by the power morcellator.

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Contact Tracey & Fox:

Sean Tracey
888-427-0543
440 Louisiana Street , Suite 1901
Houston, TX 77002

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