text: dow corning court case u.s.a. update? brest implants litigation up date. throughout the 1980s and 1990s, consumer groups alleged that dow corning's silicone breast implants caused numerous health problems including breast cancer, auto immune diseases including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and various neurological problems. this led to numerous lawsuits beginning in 1984 and culminating in a 1998 class action settlement in which tens of thousands of plaintiffs accepted a $3.2 billion award. dow corning was in bankruptcy protection for nine years that ended in june 2004.  in 1999, however, an independent review of all previous research on the issue concluded that the implants, even when ruptured, caused no major health problems beyond local hardening or scarring of the breasts. the issue remains contentious, mostly because the aforementioned review could not address the scope of claims of injury due to ruptured implants, for example, the health impact on an unborn child.