A Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit was filed against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, alleging a Massachusetts woman suffered injuries after receiving a Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip replacement.

Plaintiff Kenee G. filed a metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit against DePuy in January after having both hips replaced with the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup metal-on-metal hip replacement. After Kenee underwent these two hip replacement surgeries, she claims she began experiencing severe pain in her hip and had difficulty walking.

According to the lawsuit, her doctor performed blood tests, which revealed high levels of metal present in Kenee’s bloodstream. Due to the chronic pain and other metal hip implant side effects she allegedly experienced, the plaintiff was forced to undergo hip revision surgery in January to remove and replace the DePuy metal hip implants.

According to the DePuy metal-on-metal-hip implant lawsuit:

“All of the injuries and complications suffered by Plaintiff were caused by the defective design, warnings, construction and unreasonably dangerous character of the Pinnacle Devices with which she was implanted. Had Defendants not concealed the known defects, the early failure rate, the known complications, and the unreasonable risks associated with the use of the Pinnacle Device, Plaintiff would not have consented to the Pinnacle Device in her hip arthroplasties.”

Kenee brings several allegations against DePuy in her Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit, including claims of negligence, unfair trade practices, fraudulent concealment, intentional misrepresentation, and negligent misrepresentation. She is seeking compensation for economic and non-economic losses (including medical expenses, loss of earning, loss of consortium, pain and suffering), restitution and disgorgement of DePuy Pinnacle profits.

This DePuy Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00093-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Background on Pinnacle Acetabular Cup

DePuy’s Pinnacle Acetabular Cup hip replacement system used to be one of the most popular metal hip implants on the U.S. medical device market. DePuy heavily marketed its Pinnacle hip implant as a product that provides pain and relief and smooth range of motion for damaged and diseased hip joints.

Since 2001, DePuy has sold 150,000 Pinnacle hip implant devices. However, reports of injury and product failure began to emerge. The FDA received over 1,300 reports of severe hip implant failure and subsequent adverse complication reports concerning DePuy’s metal hip implant.

As a result, metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits have been filed against DePuy, alleging the company was aware of the high failure rate of its product since at least 2006. These metal hip implant lawsuits also claim that DePuy was aware of the possibility of patients with a failed Pinnacle hip system developing metallosis, biological toxicity, and other painful side effects.