A Washington D.C. resident claims that DePuy Orthopaedics and Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about the risks and severity of possible side effects from the Pinnacle hip implant device.

Plaintiff Carlton H. has filed a hip implant lawsuit against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson, claiming he suffers from serious hip replacement complications as a direct result of the manufacturers’ defective Pinnacle hip device.

Carlton received the Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant in March 2005 during a left hip arthroplasty. Carlton claims that following the hip replacement surgery, he suffered from chronic pain and discomfort and now has high levels of metal ions in his body, tissue, and blood (known as metallosis). Carleton also had to undergo premature hip revision surgery to replace the metal hip implant for his left hip.

Carlton alleges DePuy took no steps to test the Pinnacle Device before releasing it on the market, otherwise they would have discovered that it leads to metallosis and other hip implant complications. Instead, DePuy allegedly opted not to disclose known hip implant side effects, the early failure rate, known hip implant complications, and the risk associated with the use of the Pinnacle hip implant.

Carlton and his wife are seeking judgment for compensatory damages, pain and suffering, loss of earnings, medical expenses, loss of consortium, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

DePuy Pinnacle Hip Complaints

DePuy Orthopaedics has received numerous complaints regarding the Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant, though it has not issued a Pinnacle hip implant recall as of yet. The company maintains that there is no defect in the design of the Pinnacle hip replacement, though several DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits allege that the company is concealing the defect and has misrepresented that the hip replacement is a safe and effective medical device.

The following are among the potential DePuy Pinnacle hip implant complications:

• Unexplained hip pain
• Pinnacle hip implant failure
• Difficulty walking or standing
• Loosening of the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement
• Premature hip replacement revision surgery
• Metallosis (metal poisoning)

Reportedly, metal-on-metal hip devices like the Pinnacle implant can wear, releasing microscopic particles into the patient’s body. Some patients experiencing DePuy Pinnacle hip implant complications have reported severe inflammatory reactions or metal poisoning due to high levels of cobalt and chromium in their systems. Elevated levels of chromium and cobalt have been linked to the metal debris released by the metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip replacements. Metal poisoning symptoms commonly leads to other problems, such as trouble walking, pain, and swelling.

Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuits

J&J’s DePuy division faces more than 6,000 federal multidistrict-litigation lawsuits from former Pinnacle hip implant recipients like Carlton, who suffered from injuries including metal poisoning. According to the Pinnacle lawsuits, patients say the metal-on-metal hip replacement system is defective because pieces rub together, causing metal ions to leak into the body.

The coordinated litigation over Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implants pending is known as MDL No. 2244 and was established in May of 2011. As of June 2014, more than 6,400 individual hip implant lawsuits have been filed in the national multi-district litigation proceedings that are pending before Judge Kinkeade.

The Depuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-02186-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.