Jury Grants $30,000 in Breast Implant Suit

A jury awarded $30,000 in compensatory damages to a woman who contended her silicon breast implants made her ill. A jury ruled that Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. had designed defective gel implants. Nancy Duke, 53, sought millions of dollars in her lawsuit against 3M, but the jury rejected punitive damages and voted 10-2 to award compensatory damages. Her attorneys said in closing arguments that the implants had caused her breast hardening, aching joints, chronic fatigue, rashes and other problems. The jury found 3M negligent in its design of the implants and ruled that the negligence was the proximate cause of Duke’s injuries.