The Philadelphia judge who oversaw the pelvic mesh trial that resulted in a $41 million win for the plaintiff in January has urged the Pennsylvania Superior Court to uphold the verdict and find that he properly denied defendants’ request that he recuse himself from the case.

Judge Kenneth Powell filed an opinion earlier this week contending that defendant Ethicon‘s numerous issues on appeal are “meritless,” and asking the appellate court to affirm the verdict in Emmet v. Ethicon. The verdict included $15 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages, as well as $1 million on a loss of consortium claim.