A North Carolina woman recently filed a hip replacement lawsuit against DePuy, alleging that the company’s metal-on-metal Pinnacle Device hip replacement is defective and can cause serious injuries.

Plaintiff Sharon R. was implanted with a Pinnacle metal hip on Feb. 5, 2008 during a total hip arthroplasty procedure.

After the hip replacement surgery, the plaintiff suffered complications from the hip implant. She reported experiencing pain and discomfort and went through a revision surgery for her hip in 2013.

According to the metal hip implant lawsuit, the metal-on-metal hip replacement is directly responsible for the injuries the plaintiff suffered, and it caused the revision surgery to be necessary.

Sharon’s metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit claims that not only was the Pinnacle metal hip defectively designed, but the warnings included with the device failed to adequately warn of the device’s risks.

The hip implant lawsuit alleges that DePuy actively concealed the device’s defects as well as its early rate of failure and known complications linked to its metal-on-metal hip replacement device.

Had the plaintiff known these risks, she claims she would not have had the device implanted in the first place and could have avoided these hip replacement complications.

The hip replacement lawsuit claims that Sharon also suffered economic loss and physical and emotional pain and suffering as a result of the failed metal hip implant.

The plaintiff filed this hip implant lawsuit on multiple counts including negligence, defective design, inadequate warning, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, and several others.

The Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas.

Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Implants

Complications of hip replacement can be fairly serious. These metal hip implant devices, including the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, have a high failure rate and can also release highly toxic metal ions into a patient’s tissue and bloodstream.

Particles released from the metal-on-metal hip implant devices can cause metallosis, tissue death, and tumor growth.

The DePuy hip implant systems have already been taken off the Australian market because of its early and high rate of failure.

DePuy Hip Implant Lawsuits

Situations like Sharon R.’s may be even more widespread. According to Sharon’s DePuy hip lawsuit, there have been approximately 150,000 DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup Systems implanted in patients since its release onto the market.

According to the DePuy hip lawsuit, over 1,300 adverse reports have been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding failures of the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System.

The hip implant lawsuit alleges that DePuy had material knowledge that its metal-on-metal hip replacement systems, including the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, were defective and therefore not safe prior to selling the product.

Instead of recalling the allegedly defective product, DePuy continued to market the hip implant system as safe and effective to maintain sales. Ultimately, the lawsuits claim that DePuy is apparently more concerned with their sales revenue and corporate profits than patient safety.

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