A man and his wife have filed a lawsuit regarding his DePuy hip implants.

In July 2008, plaintiff Billy C. allegedly received both a right and left metal-on-metal DePuy hip replacement surgery. At that time, he was 52 years old.

Billy and his wife Marolyn have filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics because both of Billy’s DePuy hip implants allegedly failed. DePuy is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

According to the hip implant lawsuit, he “began suffering vibrations, discomfort, and unusual sounds from his right knee,” particularly when he would stand or walk for a period of time. His surgeon allegedly told Billy that his right knee problems were caused by issues with his right hip implant. Billy says he had not suffered knee problems with either of his knees prior to receiving the DePuy hip implants.

At that time, Billy says his surgeon ordered a blood test to see if Billy’s metal ion levels had increased since previous blood tests, which had shown elevated metal ion levels. These tests were ordered because the metal-on-metal implants consist of parts made of dissimilar metals that work against one another, sometimes resulting in bits of metal fretting away. Metal ions may leach into the bloodstream, where they can cause metal poisoning.

In July 2017, blood tests purportedly indicated Billy had a chromium level of 62.8 ng/mL and a cobalt level of 142.5 ng/mL. The normal range for these metals in the human body’s blood is less than 3.0 ng/mL. According to the DePuy hip implants lawsuit, these dangerously high levels of metal ions caused Billy significant health issues that led him to seek further treatments.

DePuy Hip Implants Explanted

Billy says he underwent two hip revision surgeries in 2017 to remove and replace the DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hips. His right hip was revised in September, followed by the left hip in November.

He alleges he continues to suffer the financial impact, severe and permanent injuries, pain, suffering and emotional distress due to the failed hip implants and the collateral damage they caused.

Even though his September right hip explantation was painful and required extensive rehabilitation, Billy alleges his left hip explantation in November was more difficult and painful because of several factors.

“Among other things, the cup, ball, and stem had to be removed and replaced” and his left hip “sustained massive damage, including significant bone loss requiring bone grafts,” says Billy’s complaint.

As a result, the recovery for the left hip revision surgery was “abnormally long and difficult” for Billy.

To date, Johnson & Johnson has paid more than $4 billion in DePuy hip implants lawsuit settlements. At one court appearance, an attorney brought forth an internal memo Johnson & Johnson had circulated, admitting that the pharmaceutical giant anticipated a minimum of 40 percent of DePuy hip implants patients would need a revision surgery within five years of initial implantation.

The DePuy Hip Implants Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-dp-20049-JJH in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division.