Dalkon Shield Cited in Hysterectomy; $9 Million Awarded
A jury awarded nearly $9 million to a Topeka woman Friday who contended that the use of the Dalkon Shield birth control device forced her to undergo a hysterectomy.
By a 10-2 vote, the eight-man, four-woman jury awarded Loretta Tetuan, 33, $1.43 million in actual damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages. A unanimous verdict is not needed in a civil trial to award damages.
Although the actual award was $9.2 million, Tetuan will receive less because the jury held her partly responsible for the injuries she suffered from using the Dalkon Shield.
Roscoe Puckett, a spokesman for the manufacturer of the Dalkon Shield, the A. H. Robins Co. of Richmond, Va., said the company will appeal.
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