An Alabama resident filed a Stryker metal-on-metal hip lawsuit last month accusing Stryker Orthopaedics (as well as Howmedica Osteonics) of creating a faulty product.

Plaintiff Shirley W. underwent surgery to have a metal-on-metal hip implant on November 7, 2011. Rather than alleviating her medical condition, the device caused her to suffer from serious injuries as well as economic damages, her Stryker hip implant lawsuit alleges. She claims she was not aware of the device’s faults at the time of implant, and only learned of the defect after the device was recalled due to the high number of metal-on-metal hip implant failures that had occurred.

Counts in this Stryker metal-on-metal hip lawsuit include negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, and others.

Stryker Hip Recall and Side Effects

Metal-on-metal hip implants, as manufactured by Stryker, Biomet, DePuy, and others, have caused many individuals to suffer from serious side effects. Some Stryker hip side effects may include early failure of the metal-on-metal hip implant, cobalt poisoning, loss of bone strength, and cancer.

This failure is allegedly caused by the fact that the metal-on-metal hips are difficult to surgically implant. If the implant is off by even a tiny bit, the parts could rub together and cause metal particles to be released into the bloodstream. Though it was created as an alternative to the traditional metal and plastic hip implants and the metal-on-ceramic hip implants, the Stryker has a higher failure rate.

Already, thousands of individuals have filed Stryker metal-on-metal lawsuits against the device’s manufacturer, with some plaintiffs winning large settlements. In addition to those harmed by the implants, wrongful death lawsuits may be filed by family members of loved ones who died from Stryker hip complications, and spouses may file lawsuits if the side effects caused them to lose intimacy with their spouse.

If you are experiencing any of the following side effects, you may be able to join a hip replacement MDL against Stryker or another hip manufacturer and pursue compensation for your injuries:

• Failure of the metal-on-metal hip implant requiring early replacement
• Dislocated hip
• Leaking of toxic substances from your hip implant, like chromium or cobalt, in your bloodstream 
• Cancer
• Degenerative Heart Disease or Cardiomyopathy
• Loss of bone strength or structure which can result in bone fractures
• Tissue death for any tissue surrounding the implant
• Non-cancerous tumors or pseudotumors around the hip implant
• Cobalt poisoning

This Stryker Metal-on-Metal Hip MDL is In Re. Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 13-02441 filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.