So reports the Washington Post.

While $3.35 million represents compensation for the claimant’s pain, suffering, medical bills and lost wages, the remaining $7.76 million are punitive damages intended to send a message to Ethicon, which the jury determined failed to adequately warn doctors about the vaginal mesh implant’s risks, and fraudulently misrepresented those risks in the product’s marketing materials.

The verdict is especially significant because there are more than 1,800 other lawsuits pending in New Jersey Superior Court against Ethicon for vaginal mesh injuries. As the first of all those cases to go to trial, Gross’s case is likely to influence settlement discussions.

Read the full article from the Washington Post here.