One of the major hip implant lawsuits has reached a settlement, though lawsuits could continue for other brands of metal hip implants. Stryker Orthopaedics has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to many of those who received Stryker hip implants.

Metal-on-metal hip implants are a specific type of artificial hip joint. These joints are designed to replace a failed hip joint which has failed due to age, injury, or disease.

However, most hip implants use polymers for their moving surface. In the case of metal-on-metal hip implants, both moving surfaces of the joint are metal. Allegedly, the metal-on-metal hip implant designs are more prone to implant failure and serious side effects like pseudotumors and metal ion poisoning.

This allegedly defective design has led to hip implant recalls across various ­brands and models of metal-on-metal hip implants, including the Stryker hip implant. Stryker issued a voluntary recall in 2012 for several models of its artificial hip joint.

Stryker hip implant lawsuits recently were settled. Stryker agreed to a base settlement of $300,000 for each patient who suffered a hip implant failure. Stryker also agreed to pay out to individuals who need surgical correction to their metal hip implants, but have not yet done so for medical reasons.

However, the Stryker settlement may not cover every person with a failed Stryker hip joint. Patients who had a Stryker hip implanted after Nov. 2 may have to file a separate Stryker hip lawsuit.

The various Stryker lawsuits involved in the hip implant settlement have been coordinated in a type of legal action called a multidistrict litigation or MDL. MDLs are a type of group legal action in which the court system coordinates similar individual lawsuits (in this case, Stryker lawsuits) into a single legal action. Since Stryker lawsuits typically make very similar allegations and hinge on similar evidence and testimony, they are ideal for inclusion in a MDL.

However, a number of different companies have designed and manufactured their own metal-on-metal hip implants. This has resulted in a number of different metal hip lawsuits being coordinated into several different MDLs based on the company that built the metal hip implant in question.

The various hip implant lawsuits have alleged that metal hip implants manufacturers failed to perform adequate testing on their metal hip implants, leading to dangerous products. Hip implant lawsuits, like the Stryker lawsuits, typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care, lost wages, compensation for pain and suffering, legal fees, and other costs allegedly linked to their metal hip implants.