German court rejects breast implant compensation claim

BERLIN – A German federal court has rejected a claim from a woman who received leak-prone breast implants for compensation from a German product-testing company.

Thursday’s ruling from Germany’s Federal Court of Justice follows a similar decision two years ago by a French appeals court.

Tens of thousands of women worldwide received implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP. The implants were found to contain industrial-grade silicone instead of medical silicone.

PIP’s owner was sentenced to prison for fraud, but his bankrupt company couldn’t pay damages. Lawyers sought compensation from German testing company TUeV Rheinland.

The German court found TUeV Rheinland didn’t violate any obligations. The plaintiff received the implants in 2008 in Germany but had them removed in 2012. She sought at least 40,000 euros ($44,500) in damages.