A Colorado woman recently filed a lawsuit over hip implant complications, adding it to the growing MDL (multidistrict litigation) against DePuy.

The plaintiff, Patricia S., underwent a total left hip arthroplasty procedure on Sept. 27, 2010. The surgery involved implantation of a metal-on-metal DePuy Pinnacle device in place of her left hip. Unfortunately, after the surgery, Patricia began to experience extreme pain, discomfort, and inflammation in the area of her left thigh and groin. Then, when she walked, sat down, or stood up, she would feel what she described as a popping and snapping sensation in her hip joint, the hip implant lawsuit explains.

Because of these symptoms, Patricia was forced to undergo revision surgery to fix these device complications on June 5, 2015. After that, she filed her hip implant lawsuit against DePuy and joined the DePuy Pinnacle MDL.

According to the complaint, DePuy did not adequately warn about the risk of complications linked with its Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant device. Had they given such a warning, the lawsuit claims, Patricia would have sought an alternative method forward and avoided these complications entirely.

Patricia filed her May 31 complaint against DePuy in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, manufacturing defect, design defect, inadequate warning, breach of express and implied warranties, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud.

This DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit was originally filed on March 1, 2017. The defendants filed for removal of the suit on April 3rd.

DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Device

The specific device targeted in the DePuy Pinnacle MDL is the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, or Pinnacle. The Pinnacle was released onto the market in 2001, and was intended to replace hip joints damaged by a number of conditions.

The DePuy Pinnacle device is widely used for hip replacements. According to its manufacturers, almost 150,000 people have gone through a total hip replacement with this particular system.

Though DePuy markets its device as safe and effective, the hip replacement lawsuit alleges that the company is aware of the link between its Pinnacle device and a number of hip replacement problems, including metallosis, toxicity, and a high failure rate.

However, thousands of hip implant lawsuits have so far been filed over serious problems with the DePuy Pinnacle hip device. Indeed, Australia has already taken the DePuy Pinnacle hip systems off their medical market because of its high rate of failure.

Joining a DePuy Pinnacle MDL

Plaintiffs claim that the Pinnacle device’s manufacturers failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about the risks associated with the device. Plaintiffs claim that DePuy actively concealed the device’s defects, as well as its early rate of failure and known complications of hip replacement with the device.

Had the plaintiffs been adequately informed of these risks, they say, they may not have had the device implanted in the first place and could have avoided these painful hip replacement problems.

Many of these lawsuits have been consolidated into a DePuy Pinnacle MDL, or multidistrict litigation. If you or someone you love has experienced hip replacement problems due to a total hip replacement like the Pinnacle device from DePuy, you may be able to file a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit or join a DePuy Pinnacle MDL.

The DePuy Pinnacle MDL Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-01433-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.