Insurers face US$250 million price tag on U.S. breast implant case

A recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling could see insurers paying out as much as US$250 million in claims related to breast implants. 3M, also known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, went to court with 29 insurers who balked at paying claims for legal and other expenses for lawsuits related to the implants. Following an eight-year legal battle, the court ruled that insurers were responsible to pay up to the limits of their respective policies with the corporation. “We’re very pleased by the court’s decision today requiring insurers to provide the insurance benefits purchased by 3M,” says Richard Ziegler, senior vice president, legal affairs and general counsel for 3M. “This ruling is good not only for 3M, but for all policyholders because it reaffirms insurers’ responsibility to meet their coverage obligations.”3M subsidiary McGhan Medical Corp. manufactured breast implants from 1977 to 1984, and was sued by women who claimed the implants caused them to become ill. While 3M was on the hook for about US$1 billion, it originally did recover about US$850 million from insurers.