Thousands of victims in the Pip breast implant scandal can finally rest easy after a Paris Appeal Court today (May 20) ruled that the women were entitled to compensation.

The case, which was brought against the implant’s French manufacturer by 2,700 of its women users, argued that the victims were deserving of compensation having suffered long-term health effects since receiving the implants.

The Pip Implant World Victims Association (Pipa), which represented the women in question, said it was seeking damages amounting to tens of thousands of euros for each victim, though when and how much compensation would be given was yet to be determined.

Feelings of elation for the victorious win were high in the victim’s camp after a battle that had raged on for almost 11 years.

According to one British victim, Jan Spivey, who received her implants after conducting a mastectomy because of breast cancer, she felt “elated and exhausted” after hearing the decision.

“It’s been a very long journey. We’ve been in and out of court, and that’s been really difficult for women. We’ve got health issues and we’ve got lots of other responsibilities too – Pip has had an impact on the whole of our lives” said Spivey.

Olivier Aumaître, the lawyer who represented the women, said: “We are delighted with this outcome which definitively puts an end to the doubts about TÜV’s (the German firm that certified the implants) responsibility.

“After 10 years of waiting and fierce combat, the German certifier will have to fully compensate the victims.”

It is expected that the ruling will have implications for tens of thousands of victims across the world, with preliminary estimations suggesting that up to 400,000 women have received the agricultural silicone implant that was not approved for humans.

The substandard implants were made by the French company Poly Implant Prothèse, or Pip, between 2001 and 2010 and at one point were the third-largest global supplier of breast implants.