A Georgia resident recently filed a metal hip implant lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the company’s implant was defective.

The plaintiff, Ramesh P.,was implanted with DePuy ASR hip implant in 2007, and has since developed injuries allegedly because of the hip implant’s defects.

Due to his injuries, the plaintiff had his hip implant explanted in 2015. Ramesh states that he discovered that his injuries were due to his hip implant after he became aware that the device had been recalled from the market.

Ramesh claims that the DePuy metal hip implant broke down slowly over time, releasing excessive levels of chromium and cobalt. He discovered this injury when he had his blood drawn, and his blood work indicated the excess amounts of these metals.

The implant allegedly caused him both physical injury and financial damage.

The plaintiff filed his metal hip implant lawsuit against DePuy on twenty-two separate counts, including negligence, defective design, failure to warn, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and gross negligence/malice.

The plaintiff seeks punitive damages against DePuy, who he claims purposefully and maliciously withheld information about their product’s design defects.

Metal Hip Implant Lawsuits

An increasing number of hip implant patients are filing hip implant lawsuits, alleging that their defects can cause excessive amounts of metal to corrode from the surfaces of its various parts.

The metal corrosion of hip implants causes the devices to fail, which then leads to the death of surrounding tissue and bone. These defects result in an unreasonably high risk of failure for metal hip implants, according to lawsuits.

These kinds of problems often necessitate undergoing explant surgery to remove and replace the defective devices.

Had the misrepresentations of these devices’ safety not been made, plaintiffs filing metal hip implant lawsuits allege they would not have used the devices.

Metal hip implant systems such as the one used by Patel were developed in order to effectively reconstruct human hip joints. These joints may need implants because of conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, and/or fracture.

The plaintiffs in these metal hip implant lawsuits claim that DePuy had a duty to inform patients and the medical community fully of potential risks prior to implant surgery, and update their warnings regarding the risks following the reports and studies which showed considerable risk.

Because the plaintiffs claim that DePuy had knowledge of its product’s defectiveness, and because the company continued to market their product as safe and effective until finally pulling it from the market, the plaintiffs further allege that the manufacturer intentionally suppressed and concealed both the risks of their product and the fact that safer alternatives were available.

If you or someone you know has experienced complications due to a metal hip implant from DePuy or another company, you may be able to file a metal hip implant lawsuit.

The Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-dp-20239-DAK, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division.