Mediator Proposes Implants Settlement

A federal mediator has given Dow Corning Corp. and thousands of women with breast-implant claims against the company six days to accept his proposed settlement. Intense negotiations between the former breast-implant maker and attorneys for thousands of women claiming the implants injured them failed to produce a deal, mediator Francis McGovern said. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Spector, who is overseeing Dow Corning’s multibillion-dollar bankruptcy case, agreed to hold off on issuing his already prepared bankruptcy plan until after the deadline set by McGovern--Tuesday at noon. Midland, Mich.-based Dow Corning, a joint venture of Dow Chemical Co. and Corning Inc., faces 177,000 breast-implant claims worldwide. The women claim silicone gel leaked from their implants and caused a variety of illnesses.