The Nation : Legal Counsel Urged in IUD Settlement

A coalition of groups supporting women injured by the Dalkon Shield urged them to seek legal counsel before accepting individual $725 settlements and relinquishing rights to further damages. The first phase of a long-awaited settlement offer from A.H. Robins, maker of the intrauterine birth control device, was mailed from company headquarters in Richmond, Va., to about 195,000 women worldwide this week. The “Option 1” one-time payment of $725 clearly explains it is meant for those whose injuries are “less severe” or have “little proof to support their claim.” But advocates of women injured by the device said the offer should also clearly inform women what they stand to lose. “Do not throw away a (possible) $30,000, $50,000, $70,000 claim for an immediate payment of $725,” said Nancy Worth Davis, chair of the Dalkon Shield Oversight Consortium.