Olympus Scope Infections Attorneys & Lawyers for Injury Lawsuits

HOW OLYMPUS SCOPES CAUSE INFECTIONS

When you have an endoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, or bronchoscopy, the scope used is typically reprocessed (cleaned) and used again. That cleaning step is the only thing standing between you and the bacteria left behind by another patient.

Contaminated Olympus endoscopes have been linked to cases of sepsis, HIV, tuberculosis, and other serious infections. Numerous studies have found dangerous bacteria on scopes even after thorough cleaning according to manufacturer instructions. Current lawsuits focus on two reasons for this:

1. Defective Design

Olympus endoscopes contain narrow internal channels, movable elevator mechanisms, and microscopic crevices that physically trap bacteria. These areas are sometimes impossible to reach and disinfect, even with thorough cleaning.

2. Inadequate Reprocessing Instructions

Reprocessing (cleaning) instructions provided by the scope manufacturer, Olympus, were not sufficient to make scopes safe for reuse, even when properly followed. Hospitals that followed Olympus’s own protocols could still be using contaminated scopes without knowing it.

Important: Because Olympus scopes are designed for repeated use, recalled and older-model Olympus scopes may still be in circulation at hospitals and surgical centers.

A PATTERN OF NONCOMPLIANCE AND CONCEALMENT

Olympus has a documented pattern of responding (or failing to respond) to safety concerns with their products over many years:

In 2018, Olympus Medical Systems pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and paid an $85 million penalty for concealing infection-related adverse events from the FDA and continuing to sell endoscopes in the United States despite knowing about the risk.
Between 2022 and 2023, the FDA issued three separate warning letters to Olympus, citing ongoing failures in manufacturing quality, device reporting, and complaint investigation. Federal regulators publicly accused the company of “a troubling disregard for patient safety.”
In January 2025, Olympus issued a Class 1 recall — the FDA’s most serious classification — for an endoscope accessory linked to 120 patient injuries and at least one death.
In June 2025, the FDA issued an import alert blocking 58 Olympus device models from entering the United States due to widespread manufacturing and safety violations.

WHAT COMPENSATION MAY BE AVAILABLE?

If you have been harmed by contaminated Olympus scopes, you may be entitled to compensation for:

Medical expenses — past and future, including hospitalization, ICU care, surgery, and ongoing treatment
Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
Loss of quality of life
Wrongful death damages, including funeral costs and loss of companionship

Act quickly. Filing deadlines vary by state and typically range from 1 to 3 years from the date you were injured or discovered it was connected to an Olympus scope. Missing the deadline can permanently bar your claim.

WHY CHOOSE MORRIS JAMES?

Olympus has significant legal resources and will aggressively defend these cases. You need attorneys who have gone up against power corporations and know how to win. At Morris James, we offer:

Proven track record in mass torts and medical device product liability litigation
Contingency fees — no fee unless we recover compensation for you
Free, no-obligation case review

If you developed a serious infection after your endoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, or bronchoscopy, we may be able to help. Contact our experienced mass tort attorneys at Morris James for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your situation and give you an honest answer about whether you may have a claim.

Team Leaders

Keith E. Donovan

Managing Partner

Matthew R. Fogg

Partner

DO I QUALIFY FOR AN OLYMPUS SCOPE INFECTION LAWSUIT?

You may have an Olympus Scopes Infection claim if:

You had an upper endoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, or bronchoscopy using an Olympus device at any time since 2015
Within 30 days of your procedure, you were diagnosed with a serious infection — or you received a notice of potential exposure from your hospital or healthcare provider
Your infection or exposure involved a serious condition, including sepsis or septic shock, HIV, tuberculosis (TB), an antibiotic-resistant superbug (such as CRE, MRSA, or drug-resistant E. coli or Pseudomonas), or another serious bacterial infection
Your condition led to inpatient hospitalization, IV antibiotics, ICU care, organ failure, or death

Wrongful death claims are also under investigation for families who lost a loved one following a scope-related infection.

Pre-existing conditions do not automatically disqualify you. Our attorneys work with independent medical experts to evaluate causation in each case.

OLYMPUS SCOPE INFECTIONS FAQS

These lawsuits are about patients who went in for a routine procedure — a scope of the stomach, lungs, or digestive tract — and came out with a life-threatening infection. The core allegation is that Olympus knew its instruments could harbor bacteria even after cleaning, and that the guidance it gave hospitals for sterilizing those instruments was not adequate. People were seriously hurt as a result, and many were never told why. At Morris James, we are pursuing answers and compensation for victims.

These are complex instruments with tiny channels, moving parts, and hard-to-reach corners where bacteria can hide. Even a hospital doing everything right — following every step of the cleaning process — may not be able to remove all the harmful microorganisms.

A 2025 study in the American Journal of Infection Control confirmed that the instructions Olympus gave to healthcare facilities were not sufficient to reliably make the scopes safe between patients. At Morris James, our mass torts attorneys work with experts in infectious disease and other related fields to build the strongest cases for our clients.

People who have been harmed by contaminated Olympus scopes have developed some very serious conditions, including sepsis (a dangerous, body-wide response to infection), HIV, tuberculosis, and infections caused by bacteria that no longer respond to standard antibiotics — sometimes called “superbugs.” These include CRE, MRSA, and drug-resistant strains of E. coli and Pseudomonas. The consequences can be devastating: extended hospital stays, treatment in the ICU, organ damage, and in some cases, death.

You may be eligible to pursue a claim if:

You had a stomach, lung, or digestive scope procedure using an Olympus instrument at any point since 2015
Within 30 days of that procedure, you were told you had a serious infection — or your hospital sent you a letter warning you that you may have been exposed to a contaminated device
The illness involved something like sepsis, HIV, tuberculosis, a drug-resistant bacterial infection, or another serious bacterial condition
The illness was serious enough to land you in the hospital, require antibiotics through an IV, involve the ICU, cause organ damage, or result in death

If you lost a family member after a scope procedure went wrong in this way, you may also be able to pursue a wrongful death claim on their behalf.

It means your hospital identified a problem with the cleaning or sterilization of a scope used in your procedure and is legally required to let you know. That letter is meaningful — it suggests a real risk of contamination, even if you haven’t been diagnosed with an infection yet. You don’t need a confirmed diagnosis before speaking with an attorney. In fact, reaching out early is important, because legal time limits can begin ticking from the date of that notice.

Not necessarily. At Morris James, we are reviewing cases involving Olympus scope procedures going back to 2015. If you think your illness might be connected to a contaminated Olympus scope, it is crucial to reach out to our attorneys as soon as possible to meet strict filing deadlines.

Yes. Unlike a single-use device, endoscopes are built to be used hundreds of times over many years. That means a scope that was recalled or pulled from the market may still be sitting in a hospital storage room and being used on patients. The age or recall status of the device does not prevent you from bringing a claim if you were harmed by it.

Yes, and this is a common concern we hear. Having a prior illness or health condition does not close the door on your claim. In fact, many of the people harmed by contaminated scopes were already dealing with other medical issues — which often made the infection even more dangerous for them. What matters legally is whether the scope played a role in what happened to you. Our mass tort attorneys work with medical experts to help answer that question for each person we represent.

The answer is usually in your medical records. Hospitals are required to log the make and model of every device used in a procedure, and that information is typically recorded alongside the procedure notes. Our mass tort attorneys will help you track down the details you need.

You may be able to recover money for the medical bills you’ve faced — and any future treatment you’ll need — as well as income you lost while you were sick or recovering. You may also be compensated for your physical pain, the emotional toll the illness took on you, and the ways it has changed your daily life. For families who lost someone, compensation can include funeral expenses and the profound loss of that person’s presence and support. At Morris James, we work diligently to ensure that you get the compensation and financial security you deserve.

Yes — every state sets its own deadline for filing an Ozempic Scope Infection lawsuit, typically 1 to 3 years. If that window closes, you generally lose your right to pursue compensation, regardless of how strong your case might be. Don’t wait to reach out — contact our Ozempic Scope Infection team at Morris James as soon as possible. It costs nothing to call.

At Morris James, there is no upfront cost, and no fee at all unless we recover money for you. This is called a contingency arrangement — our fee comes out of any settlement or award we obtain on your behalf, so you never have to pay out of pocket to get legal representation. The initial conversation is always free, and you’re under no obligation after speaking with us.

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