
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 17, 1990                   TAG: 9003172286
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Medium

HIGHER DALKON SHIELD SETTLEMENTS OFFERED

Women who can prove they used a Dalkon Shield birth control device can receive payments of $850 to $5,500 - up to $2,500 higher than earlier estimates - even if they cannot prove that the device injured them.

That information was contained in packets mailed this week to about 85,000 women who contend they were injured by the intrauterine device sold by the A.H. Robins Co. in the early 1970s.

Another 85,000 claimants already have settled claims by accepting payments of no more than $725 to compensate them for injuries from the IUD.

Robins, a Richmond-based pharmaceutical company, manufactured and distributed about 4 million of the devices between 1971 and 1974. Robins filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code in August 1985 after it was overwhelmed by claims from women who said the device had injured them.

The company's reorganization ended last year with the creation of a $2.3 billion trust to handle Dalkon Shield claims. Robins also was acquired by the American Home Products Corp. in an exchange of stock worth about $900 million.

The packets mailed to Dalkon Shield claimants this week explained four options to resolve claims.

Option 1, the procedure used to resolve the 85,000 claims, is still available. A woman can receive $725 by simply signing an affidavit that she used the Dalkon Shield and was injured by it.

The trust has paid Option 1 claimants a total of $54 million so far, said Julie A. Freeman, director of claimant relations for the trust.

Under Option 2, a woman must be able to prove that she used a Dalkon Shield but not that it caused the injury that she says resulted from the use. Payments under this option range from $850 for an induced abortion to $5,500 for involuntary surgery resulting in sterility.

A child who suffered a birth defect because of the mother's use of the Dalkon Shield will be paid $4,000, and the husband of a Dalkon Shield user will be paid $400. The father of a child who suffered a birth defect will receive $1,150.

Under Option 3, the claimant must be able to prove that she used the Dalkon Shield and that it caused an injury.

Under Option 4, a claimant can hold her claim in abeyance until a later date.

by CNB