Several metal on metal hip implant lawsuits have been filed against Biomet, DePuy and other hip implant manufacturers for faulty metal-on-metal hip replacements.

Bellwether trials representing the thousands of metal hip implant lawsuits are underway, and in some cases, so are settlement discussions. Such is the case for the Biomet M2A hip replacement lawsuit MDL.

Over 2,400 Biomet hip implant lawsuits brought by individuals who received an M2A Magnum hip replacement have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. The multidistrict litigation (MDL) and settlement talks are centralized before U.S. District Judge Robert Miller.

The current settlement only covers plaintiffs who were recipients of a Biomet M2A 38 or M2A Magnum hip implant as part of their initial hip replacement. Moreover, they had to have undergone revision surgery within 180 days of the original procedure.

Each eligible applicant, under terms of the settlement, will receive an initial $200,000 payment. Other factors may impact individual award amounts, such as implant type, purchase date, and time between the initial surgery and corrective procedure.

To aid the settlement process, metal on metal hip implant lawsuits that fit these stipulations were broken into two groups for discovery: “Group 1,” consisting of 513 plaintiffs who completed their requirements prior to Dec. 31 of 2013 and the 972 “Group 2” cases who supplied their fact sheets between Jan. 1 and June 13.

However, Biomet lawyers have stated in their update that they are “continuing to review and analyze plaintiff fact sheets submitted after that date.” Additionally, Group 1 cases have the possibility for greater compensation through a mediation process.

Plaintiffs of this current settlement requested that Judge Miller create a qualified settlement fund with an appointed administrator to help with finalizing payment decisions and fund disbursement.

Recipients of hip replacements who have not yet needed corrective surgery may still pursue a claim if their Biomet hip fails in the future.

Complications of Metal-on-Metal Hips

Metal-on-metal hip implants can cause a variety of complications due to the release of metallic debris as the metal components brush against each other. In the case of Biomet, it’s alleged that the replacement’s design is faulty as the metal surfaces of the acetabular cup, femoral head and taper sleeve rub against each other.

This rubbing creates corrosion and wear, which not only results in a much shorter life for the hip, but releases excessive amounts of cobalt and chromium into a patient’s body. This is known as metal blood poisoning (metallosis).

On average, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than a thousand adverse reports for hip implant issues annually. Nationwide, lack of research, poor design, and lack of warnings about the potential risks is at the heart of metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits.

Biomet is not alone in litigation or settlement. Other metal hip MDLs currently in process include DuPuy for its Pinnacle implant and the Wright Medical Conserve Cup. DuPuy Orthopaedic agreed to settle similar claims for failure of its ASR hip implant in a $2.4 billion settlement.