Faulty breast implant settlement

Washington - About 400,000 women will receive $3

Washington - About 400,000 women will receive $3.2 billion in compensation for faulty breast implants under a proposed settlement with Dow Corning which made the silicone-gel product, writes Joe Carroll.

The Wall Street Journal said yesterday that the settlement could be announced very soon by a US bankruptcy court in Bay City, Michigan. Dow Corning has sought bankruptcy protection for the past three years while it negotiated with the women victims. The new settlement would give faster payments than the Dow Corning proposal of last February of $3 billion over 12 years. If approved, the new proposal will mean a pay-out of $3.8 billion over two to three years.

The payments would compensate for immune system illnesses allegedly caused by the implants and pay $5,000 to have the implants surgically removed.