Opinion ID: 4151593
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Samantha Shirey

Text: Plaintiff Samantha Shirey received her ObTape implant in December 2004. The following year, Shirey experienced multiple symptoms including vaginal odor, pain radiating from her thigh, fever, groin pain, and pain during intercourse. In July 2006, Shirey went through two surgeries to remove her ObTape. After seeing 13 Case: 16-10119 Date Filed: 03/09/2017 Page: 14 of 28 a commercial regarding transvaginal mesh complications, Shirey filed her complaint in October 2012. Shirey claims that she had no reason to attribute her injury to the mesh. She experienced the same symptoms when suffering from urinary tract infections before the mesh was implanted, so she believed the injury was just a worsening of those infections. Mentor alleges that between Shirey’s first and second removal surgeries, her doctor told her that the swelling in her leg was caused by the mesh, and then he removed the ObTape. Shirey refutes this and asserts that her physician attributed her pain to an earlier procedure. However, in Shirey’s deposition, she also noted that her physician informed her that removal of the mesh might alleviate her symptoms. The district court focused on the fact that Shirey’s doctor “recommended removing as much of the remaining mesh as possible [and] performed a second excision surgery in July 2006. Therefore, Shirey knew by July 2006 that there was a connection between ObTape and some of her injuries.” Id. at .