Breast implant compensation cash due this month

By AINSLEY THOMSON and AGENCIES

New Zealanders are among the hundreds of women who will begin receiving their share of more than $A38.4 million ($47.27 million) in compensation from breast implant manufacturer Dow Corning this month.

The New Zealand women are part of a group of more than 2400 women, mainly from Australia, who last year accepted Dow Corning's breast implant settlement under a class action by law firm Slater and Gordon.

A spokesman for the firm, Andrew Grech, said 300 of these women would receive payment this month, and the remaining women would receive payments by the middle of the year.

About six New Zealand women were among the successful claimants last year.

Mr Grech said the women received the early payment in exchange for a discount in the damages they were entitled to.

The discount was insignificant in the scheme of things, he said.

About 1200 New Zealand women are still seeking compensation from Dow Corning. They are part of a group of 200,000 women worldwide who are yet to receive any payment.

Wellington lawyer Michael Okkerse, who is representing the New Zealand women, said they had appealed against the payment plan approved by the US Bankruptcy Court, but a US court of appeal rejected this, and other appeals, on Tuesday. This meant the women were closer to receiving their payments.

The 2400 women represented by Slater and Gordon are expected to receive lump-sum payments of up to $A50,000 each.

About 200,000 women worldwide have suffered auto-immune and other disorders as a result of the silicone implants, 80 per cent of which were for cosmetic purposes.