More than 1,000 women who received compensation following the PIP breast implant scandal in 2010 have been ordered by a French appeals Court to pay back the money.

The court ruled that German product-testing firm Technischer Überwachungs-Verein (TUV), that was sued as a result of the issue, is not liable for the faulty products.

Around 100 British women suffered health problems due to the faulty implants leaking industrial-grade silicon into their bodies. An interim payment was paid to the women in 2013 of £2,500, pending a full assessment of their condition.

Jan Spivey, one of the British women who sued TUV, said, “It’s so cruel to put this pressure on us after what we’ve been through. We have received no help or support from anyone. We’ve just been abandoned and we have had to fight every step of the way.”

The French appeals court said the firm had “committed no error engaging their criminal responsibility” in certifying the implants as safe while they were later found to be faulty. TUV maintains its job was not to test the actual implants as they were only tasked with inspecting the manufacturing process.

source: aestheticsjournal.com