WASHINGTON -- Women suing Dow Corning Corp. over diseases they say were caused by silicone breast implants have joined with the company's creditors and proposed that the firm pay at least $2.95 billion to settle their claims and emerge from bankruptcy.


The proposal, announced Jan. 10, was developed as an alternative to a plan Dow Corning submitted in December that called for potentially paying much less money, and making any payments to women with serious health problems contingent on a separate trial to determine whether implants caused their illness.


The plaintiffs' proposal would create two funds totaling $2.95 billion to settle claims.