Women OK Implant Settlement Deal

Women who claim silicone breast implants made them ill or who want the implants removed approved a $3.2-billion settlement deal with Dow Corning Corp., once the largest maker of the implants, the company said Tuesday.

Nearly 96% of the 112,774 women who cast ballots voted to approve the plan.

“I’m not saying this is the best thing since sliced bread, but it is finally a process by which we can draw an end to this and get some people the medical care that they have not been able to get,” said Sybil Niden Goldrich, a trustee appointed to represent implant recipients on the Tort Claimants Committee.

The plan will go back to court June 28, when a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Bay City, Mich., will hear arguments from creditors opposed to the plan. If the settlement is approved, claimants could begin receiving payments by the end of the year, ending a settlement process that began four years ago.