Stryker, a major orthopedics company, announced recently that it will pay over $1.4 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits filed by patients forced to undergo revision surgery when their metal-on-metal hip implants failed.

The Stryker hip settlement encompasses all patients who received one of Stryker’s Rejuvenate or ABG II Modular-Neck Hip Stem implants and underwent revision surgery before Nov. 4, 2014.

Sources suggest that each qualifying patient will receive approximately $300,000. Patients who suffered greater injury and required more extraordinary medical attention will likely receive more than this baseline figure, although it is suggested that patients who are now deceased may receive less.

The Stryker hip settlement money is intended to help patients pay medical bills incurred from having the Stryker metal-on-metal hip implants removed and then replaced. It will also help cover treatments for any of the severe hip replacement complications patients may have suffered.

Stryker expects to have the majority of the payouts made by the end of 2015. Although the settlement is for well over a billion dollars, a spokesperson for the company assured the public that Stryker did not expect the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip settlement to hurt the company’s overall profit.

The number of patients included in the Stryker hip settlement is unknown, but thousands of patients received Striker hip implants prior to a recall in June 2012. Striker Corporation explained the recall by stating that the metal-on-metal hip implants could cause adverse reactions, including pain and swelling.

Overview of Metal on Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuits

Over 500,000 Americans could potentially suffer negative side effects from metal-on-metal hip implants. Thousands of hip implant lawsuits have been filed against large pharmaceutical manufacturers like Stryker, DePuy, Biomet and Wright Medical in both state and federal courts across the nation.

Some of the serious side effects associated with metal-on-metal hip implants include: cancer, blood poisoning, tissue death surrounding the implant, dislocated hips, implant failure requiring replacement, and non-cancerous tumors.

Affected patients are bringing claims against Stryker and many other metal-on-metal hip replacement manufacturers based on theories of negligence, failure to warn, and intentional concealment of information concerning risks of serious injury and death.

Plaintiffs include patients who received metal-on-metal hip implants and have had the implants removed due to serious side effects; patients who have not yet had their hip implants replaced but are currently experiencing severe side effects; and family members of loved ones who have already died. In recent cases, spouses have begun joining metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits as co-plaintiffs. This is based on the theory of loss of consortium, or the deprivation of the benefits of a family relationship. This is done in hopes of receiving a larger settlement or award at trial.

As the dangers of metal-on-metal hip implants become more evident, large pharmaceutical manufacturers, like Stryker, are seeking settlements in hopes of avoiding expensive trials. Millions of dollars have already been awarded to victims and their families.