Within the decade, several different biomedical companies produced metal-on-metal hip implants. However, across different brands and models, serious complications were allegedly reported. Some of the alleged complications were so severe that the patients required a replacement of the hip implant through revision surgery. Several manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip implants found themselves facing legal action, including DePuy, Wright and Stryker.

One of the other hip replacement makers under major legal fire is Biomet. Hip replacement lawsuits against the company are growing, leading the judge overseeing the Biomet hip MDL to set the first trial date for the cases.

Next Steps Scheduled

U.S. District Judge Robert Miller has centralized the Biomet hip lawsuits in the Northern District of Indiana. The first cases within the multidistrict litigation (MDL) have been set to begin in June 2015. In an MDL, a handful of lawsuits are tried earlier than the other lawsuits involved in the mass litigation. These special “bellwether” cases can largely determine the outcome of the rest of the cases in the MDL. The Biomet hip MDL has almost 900 individual cases filed within it.

Several other bellwether trials will follow in August, October and December 2015, with a possible sixth trial in January 2016. The judge has ordered both sides of the case to select a pool of six Biomet hip lawsuits to serve as bellwether cases. The Biomet MDL is still accepting new hip replacement lawsuits ahead of trial. [See if you qualify now.]

Alleged Biomet Hip Replacement Complications

Biomet hip implants have been alleged to cause a number of serious complaints. One issue that was reported was that the joint can separate within a few years of implantation, requiring surgical intervention. Other patients have reported pseudotumors, a type of growth, and inflammation around the hip joint. Still others have been found to have abnormally high levels of chromium ions in their blood, which could have come from the chromium metal of the hip implant. These ions could cause serious health problems.

The Biomet hip implant MDL is In Re: Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2391, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Help For Hip Replacement Patients

If you or a loved one has suffered complications after receiving a metal-on-metal hip implant, you’ve almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. Even a textbook hip replacement is still a major surgery, complete with recovery time and lost wages. Revision surgery—the surgical correction of a defective artificial hip joint—is a second major procedure with the same risks. In revision surgery, patients face the same challenges as a regular hip replacement. However, surgeons typically have less of the original hip bones to work with, complicating the surgery. When facing such challenges, many people feel overwhelmed, or even depressed.

It is important to remember that regardless of the challenges you are facing, you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Metal on Metal Replacement Hip Implant Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a free legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation.