Female icon illustration. (Shutterstock/Larisa Rudenko) An Australian judge will rule this week whether Johnson & Johnson hid the risks of its vaginal-mesh products and damaged the organs of women, in the latest ruling in worldwide litigation against the US company over the devices. Justice Anna Katzmann in Sydney is due to decide Nov. 21 whether Johnson & Johnson and its Ethicon business misled patients about the safety of meshes used to prop up sagging organs and treat incontinence. The class action — one of Australia’s biggest — has drawn about 1,250 women, according to the firm leading the suit, Shine Lawyers. They’re seeking unspecified damages. The federal court decision will mark a significant step on a trail of mesh-related suits against New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest maker of health-care products. Thousands of cases have been filed in North America, Europe and the Middle East […]