A New York man recently filed a new hip implant lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics, alleging that his Pinnacle acetabular cup was defective and led to major complications, including metallosis.

The plaintiff, Robert K., says he was implanted with a Pinnacle acetabular cup during a total hip arthroplasty procedure on Nov. 30, 2004. Unfortunately, after the surgery, Robert says the regular use of the device created friction and wear between the metal components, releasing an excessive amount of toxic cobalt and chromium metals to be released into the blood, tissue, and bone surrounding the implant, known as metallosis.

Because of this, Robert says he began experiencing severe pain, discomfort, and inflammation in the area of his implant. As a result of these complications, Robert says he underwent revision surgery to remove his Pinnacle acetabular cup device on May 19, 2015.

According to the lawsuit, the Pinnacle acetabular cup did not undergo the rigorous premarket approval process, and instead was approved based on a previous, similar device. Thus, the lawsuit claims, the Pinnacle acetabular cup was never found by the FDA to be safe and effective.

Robert alleges that he was not adequately warned about the faulty and defective nature of the Pinnacle acetabular cup device. He filed his Pinnacle acetabular cup lawsuit on May 17, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, design defect, breach of express and implied warranties, and fraud.

The Pinnacle Hip Implant Device

The specific device referred to in this lawsuit is the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, or Pinnacle. The Pinnacle was released onto the market over a decade ago, back in 2001, and was intended to replace hip joints damaged by a number of conditions. The DePuy Pinnacle device is widely used for hip replacements all across the country. According to its manufacturers, almost 150,000 people have gone through a total hip replacement with this particular system.

Though DePuy markets its device as safe and effective, hip replacement lawsuits allege that the company is aware of the link between its Pinnacle device and a number of hip replacement problems, including metallosis, toxicity, muscle and tissue damage, and a high rate of Pinnacle hip implant failure.

However, thousands of lawsuits have so far been filed over serious DePuy Pinnacle defects. In response, Australia has already taken the DePuy Pinnacle hip off their medical market.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Pinnacle Acetabular Cup Failure

Lawsuits claim that the Pinnacle device’s manufacturers failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about the DePuy Pinnacle defects associated with the device.

If you or someone you love has experienced hip replacement problems due to DePuy Pinnacle defects, you may be able to file a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by DePuy Pinnacle defects, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Pinnacle Acetabular Cup Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01267-K in the U.S. District Court for the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas.