Officials say implants are prone to rupture
By Lori Hinnant
Associated Press
MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Hundreds of women who received faulty breast implants gathered Wednesday in a makeshift courthouse in the south of France for the fraud trial of five executives accused of using cheap industrial silicone to fill tens of thousands of implants that were sold around the world.
Jean-Claude Mas, who founded and ran implant-maker Poly Implant Prothese, is among those on trial in the southern city of Marseille. The now-defunct company had claimed its factory in France exported to more than 60 countries and was one of the world’s leading implant makers.
The implants, which officials say are prone to rupture and leaking, were not sold in the United States, but more than 125,000 women worldwide received them until sales ended in March 2010. Of those, more than 5,000 are joining the trial, saying the executives misled them into believing the implants were safe.
Mas’ lawyers said the number of women listed in the case as victims is the largest in French judicial history and said the trial was too unwieldy to continue. The packed hearing room had six large-screen televisions placed at even intervals to allow even those at the back to see, and judges frequently admonished spectators
“He didn’t have to be present — he could have said he was sick, which he is,” said Yves Haddad, Mas’ lawyer. “He was ready to be here and to answer questions, and thinking about those who joined the case, even if it seems odd to some.”
Nathalie De Michel, who received the implants, said Wednesday she wanted Mas to acknowledge responsibility.
“We have the impression that he doesn’t care. I want him at least to recognize that he made mistakes. When you fight against cancer, you fight to survive, and if after they put some garbage in your body, what’s the point of fighting for life?”
Mas declined comment as he entered the convention center — which was turned into a courthouse to host all those participating in the trial — in order to face the women for the first time. He has said he never intended harm and his lawyers said the company’s failure ruined him financially — a claim that drew angry murmurs from the crowd on Wednesday.
The vast majority of the implants were for cosmetic reasons. The rest were for breast reconstruction, often following cancer surgery.
