Silicone Gel Breast Implant Litigation

For nearly two decades, the law firm of Alley, Clark, Greiwe & Fulmer has represented more than 800 women who settled breast implant claims through opt-out litigation and various class action settlements. These clients received silicone gel-filled breast implants manufactured by one or more of the following manufacturers: Dow Corning, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baxter, Inamed, Cox-Uphoff, McGhan, Mentor, and 3M. The Settlement Facility Dow Corning Trust (SF-DCT) administers claims of women who received Dow Corning brand breast implants (Class 5 claimants) or received implants that contained Dow Corning silicone gel (Class 7 claimants). There are also funds available for various types of foreign claimants and for those that received other Dow Corning manufactured products (such as TMJ implants, hip and knee joint replacements, facial implants, testicular and penile implants, and small joint replacements). The Dow Corning settlement program offers settlement payments ranging from $2,000-$300,000 to eligible breast implant claimants for explantation and disease benefits until the end of the program on June 3, 2019.

Below are some key deadlines for the Dow Corning settlement program.

Dow Corning Settlement Plan Deadlines

Type of Deadline	Action Required of You	Deadline
Filing a Notice of Intent Form	Filing Notice of Intent form to assume timely 3005 claim filed on your behalf	August 30, 2004
Opt-Out Deadline	Submit the completed Participation Form Applies to: Class 5, 6.1, 6.2, 7, 9, 10.1, 10.2	November 29, 2004
Rupture Claim Deadline	Submit the Rupture Claim Form Applies to: Class 5, 9, 10.1 and 10.2 only	June 1, 2006
Silicone Material Claimant Claim Deadline	Submit the Class 7 claim form to apply for either an Expedited Release Payment or a Disease Option Payment Applies to: Class 7 only	June 1, 2006
Other Products Claim Deadline	Submit claims to the Other Products Class Applies to: Class 9, 10.1 and 10.2 only	June 1, 2006
Breast Implant Expedited Release Claim Deadline	Submit the Expedited Release Claim Form Applies to: Class 5, 6.1 and 6.2 only	June 1, 2007
Breast Implant Explant and Explant Assistance Claim Deadline	Submit the Explant Claim Form Applies to: Class 5, 6.1 and 6.2 only	June 2, 2014 (Next Business Day)
Breast Implant Disease Option Claim Deadline	Submit the Disease Option Claim Form Applies to: Class 5, 6.1 and 6.2 only	June 3, 2019 (Next Business Day)
Class 6.2, Option 3 Claim Deadline	Submit the Class 6.2, Option 3 Claim Form Applies to: Class 6.2 only	June 3, 2019 (Next Business Day)

The MDL-926 Revised Settlement Program (RSP) Claims Facility is separate from the Dow Corning Claims Facility, although both are based in Houston, Texas. The RSP Claims Facility administers claims on behalf of recipients of implants manufactured by Baxter (Heyer-Schulte), Bristol-Myers (Surgitek), 3M, Mentor, and Cox-Uphoff. While most claimants have already filed claims and received compensation from this settlement program, the final deadline for disease claims will not expire until December 15, 2010. Currently, many of the registration and claims submission deadlines for the various settlement programs have already expired and very few breast implant claims are still being litigated. If you need more information about the breast implant litigation, please contact the law firm of Alley, Clark, Greiwe & Fulmer to obtain more information about your legal rights.

Helpful Links:

Dow Corning Class 5 documents

Dow Corning Class 7 documents