A South Carolina woman filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedic, Inc., and Johnson & Johnson over the Pinnacle Hip Device.

Plaintiff Shelby S, had one DePuy hip device implanted in February 2005 and another implanted in January 2006. Following successful surgeries, she experienced pain and weakness in her hip and upper legs, the metal hip implant lawsuit claims.

Her doctor did not suspect the metal hip implant to be the source of the pain and weakness, allegedly because the defendants did not disclose information about complications to the medical community.

Shelby suffered from pain and discomfort, and ultimately brought a DuPuy metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit against the device’s manufacturers.

Shelby’s Pinnacle lawsuit brings ten counts against the defendants: negligence, strict products liability, strict products liability-defect due to nonconformance with representations, negligent misrepresentation, two counts of breach of implied warranty, strict products liability/defective design, failure to warn, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent concealment.

Shelby is seeking compensatory, punitive/exemplary and statutory damages, reimbursement for medical monitoring, attorney fees, prejudgment interest and any other relief deemed just and proper by the court.

Originally manufactured in 2001, the Pinnacle Device was designed to replace human hip joints that were damaged or diseased. The metal hip implant was expected to provide patients with pain relief and a smooth range of motion.

What many patients got, however, were pain and ongoing complications. Despite the defendants’ claims of superiority and safety, the metal hip implant was fraught with problems. Injured patients filed over 1,300 reports of adverse reactions with the FDA.

The DePuy Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No: 3:15-cv-02064-K in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

DePuy Metal Hip Implant Complications

Unlike other hip implants that use a plastic liner between metal pieces, DePuy’s device consists of a metal ball and socket joint, with no plastic in between.

Because the metal touches other metal, friction causes small metal fibers to flake off from the product. The metal pieces can then enter a patient’s tissues and bloodstream, leading to medical problems.

The body identifies these metal fibers as foreign to the body, and attacks the fibers. This essentially amounts to the body rejecting the implant. Inflammation and swelling occur, and fluid can accumulate as the body tries to attack the metal.

Exposure to the metal fibers can cause metal sensitivity, pain, irritation, tissue damage, tissue and bone death (necrosis), and systemic metal poisoning in the form of cobalt or chromium toxicity. The systemic metal poisoning can lead to endocrine disruption, heart disease and organ failure.

Additional complications go beyond metal poisoning, and include loosening components, misaligned implant components, dislocation, bone fracture and other types of device failure.

Many times, when the device fails, the patient must go through an invasive hip revision surgery to remove the defective metal hip implant and replace it with another hip implant product.

DePuy Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuit Information

If you or a loved one suffered from injury after a DePuy Metal Hip replacement, you may have a legal claim. Our lawyers can assist you in determining your best legal options. Case consultations are free of charge.