The German TUV certifier of defective PIP breast prostheses was ordered Thursday in Toulon to compensate 7,000 new complainants, announced the Pipa victims’ association.
Already ordered to compensate thousands of victims, the German TUV certifier of defective PIP breast prostheses was sentenced Thursday in Toulon to compensate 7,000 new complainants, announced the Pipa victims’ association.
These plaintiffs, from Colombia and Argentina but also from Scotland, England and France, obtained 2,500 euros in compensation for the damage suffered, before the Commercial Court of Toulon, for a total of 17.5 million euros. euros.
This is less than the 5,000 euros obtained a year ago by more than 1,600 other complainants, but this sum is in line with the 3,000 euros in provisions allocated to the first victims.
For Me Olivier Aumaître, lawyer for the victims of Pipa, this new “overwhelming” decision for TUV proves that the new claims “are still admissible”, in particular because the experts have recognized the existence of permanent anxiety damage.
“We find it unfortunate to have a court of first instance which decides when we are a few weeks away from decisions of the Court of Cassation on several contradictory judgments”, reacted to AFP Me Christelle Coslin, lawyer for TUV.
35,000 victims in total
Consequently, and because they “disagree” with this decision, TUV Rheinland, which employs 20,000 people with a turnover of around 2 billion euros, will certainly appeal.
For the German certifier, the bill could ultimately amount to hundreds of millions of euros, estimates Pipa, who has identified 35,000 victims in this legal battle close to finding an epilogue.
More than ten years after the discovery of the fraud within PIP, a Var manufacturer of breast prostheses founded by Jean-Claude Mas, whose death in 2019 put an end to the proceedings concerning the company, the legal proceedings continue against of the certifier, who had never noted any shortcomings.
This scandal erupted following an inspection by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products in March 2010. It had noted an abnormal rate of rupture of PIP implants, which were filled with a non- compliant instead of the required silicone gel, for the sake of economy.
