After facing thousands of ASR hip implant lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson has reached a DePuy hip replacement settlement to resolve product liability claims. The first DePuy hip replacement settlement came in August 2012, when Johnson & John agreed to pay a total of $600,000 to settle three pending DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuits.

Each of these ASR hip implant lawsuits was filed by a patient who alleged they experienced metal hip implant complications, and were forced to undergo revision surgery. According to the terms of the DePuy hip replacement settlement, each claimant received an award of about $200,000.

Even with this substantial amount, Johnson & Johnson is expected to pay much more. Class action lawsuit attorneys expect the DePuy hip replacement settlement payments to range between $200,000 to $500,000. There is a current DePuy hip replacement settlement, applicable to patients who opted for a DePuy ASR hip implant and had to undergo revision surgery sometime after March 2015.

Even with these recent DePuy hip replacement settlement successes, getting compensated can still be complicated. Patients who may qualify for a DePuy hip replacement settlement should contact a lawyer to determine eligibility for a DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit.

Patients who had to undergo revision surgery since March 2015 due to DePuy ASR hip complications may be eligible to joining a DePuy hip replacement settlement or DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit. These injuries can include, but are not limited to:

• Device Failure
• Dislocated Hip Implant
• Metal Ions leaking into Bloodstream
• Cancer
• Degenerative Heart Disease or Cardiomyopathy
• Bone Fractures
• Tissue Death surrounding the Implant
• Formation of Pseudotumors around hip implant
• Metallosis

Overview of ASR DePuy Metal Hip Implant Complications

Before the DePuy hip replacement settlement victories mentioned above, the FDA had announced Johnson & Johnson were voluntarily recalling 93,000 DePuy ASR hip implants.

This recall was initiated in part due to data from the UK joint registry, with researchers finding 13% of these patients were required to undergo revision surgery due to serious metal hip implant complications. These metal hip implant complications stem from the all-metal components of the medical device, specifically the ball and socket joint interacting.

Every time the patient moves or causes rotation in the device, metal ions are shed into the bloodstream. This may eventually result in metallosis, which can significantly compound the patients’ conditions, such as infection development and debilitating pain.

Often, patients are forced to undergo revision surgery to fix these problems, and may be eligible for a DePuy hip replacement settlement. Patients who undergo revision surgery may be at higher risk for infection.

When the DePuy ASR hip implant was approved for market, it was marketed to be a superior to choice to orthopedic patients needing a hip replacement. Metal on metal hip implants were thought to be overtly superior to ceramic or plastic models, with higher durability and customizable options. However, it did not take long for patients to report serious metal hip implant complications.