Court to Allow Hearing in Implant Case

The state Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the parent companies of Dow Corning Corp. can be sued by 1,600 California women who blame breast implants for their illnesses. A state appeals court ruled last September that Dow Chemical and Corning Inc. could not be held responsible for the alleged defects of silicone gel implants. The ruling was a blow to the women, who had hoped to sidestep Dow Corning’s bankruptcy by suing the solvent parent companies. But the state’s high court ruled to grant a hearing on an appeal by the women. The panel voted to accept the case but no hearing date has been scheduled. The case, filed in San Diego, was a consolidation of implant suits filed in state courts throughout California.