A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit accusing DePuy Orthopaedics and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, of designing a defective hip implant that failed prematurely, caused metal debris to build-up in the soft tissues of her body and severely compounded her underlying condition.

Numerous other patients have also filed lawsuits over alleged DePuy hip failure, which has resulted in a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) that this claim is joining.

Plaintiff Jennifer B. underwent total left hip replacement surgery on May 1, 2006, and had the DePuy ASR hip replacement system implanted for typical treatment purposes.

Like other metal-on-metal hip replacements, the DePuy ASR system was supposed to be a good option for patients looking to restore hip function, especially younger patients as well as those with an active lifestyle.

Jennifer reportedly started suffering from DePuy hip failure soon after it was implanted. According to her lawsuit, Jennifer experienced a multitude of complications from the implant to include debilitating pain and discomfort, limited range of mobility and severe localized tissue and bone damage in the implant area.

Due to the severity of her complications, Jennifer says she had the DePuy ASR hip replacement system surgically removed in January 2019 and has been dealing with  side effects ever since.

She sought a legal remedy after learning of the voluntary DePuy ASR hip implant recall from August 2010, reportedly due to a high failure rate, according to Jennifer’s lawsuit.

Overview of DePuy ASR Hip Implant Complications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of 93,000 DePuy ASR hip implants, including 37,000 in the United States, after data from the United Kingdom Joint Registry determined some 13 percent of patients undergo hip revision surgery after getting a DePuy ASR hip replacement system implanted.

Jennifer also alleges that diagnostic tests showed she suffered the effects of metallosis, or blood metal poisoning. Metallosis occurs when metal ions are shed from the metal ball and socket components, which can cause a multitude of other problems including, but not limited to:

• Increased cancer
• Increased risk of cardiomyopathy
• Swelling
• Infection
• Inflammation
• Corrosion
• Debilitating Pain
• Limited Range of Motion
• Tissue Death
• Bone Damage
• Formation of Pseudotumors

Each of these symptoms has become widely associated with DePuy hip failure, and requires many patients to undergo revision surgery. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, hip revision surgery is considered riskier than the initial implant surgery, and the implants will most likely not last as long.

Jennifer’s lawsuit asserts that she could not have known about these complications before undergoing hip replacement surgery. If she’d had that information it would have impacted her choice of prosthetic, according to the lawsuit.

Jennifer says she and her physicians relied on DePuy and Johnson & Johnson’s marketing materials and had no reason to be wary of the device being potentially defective, according to her complaint.

Jennifer’s lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2197. She seeks a variety of damages including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This DePuy ASR Hip Lawsuit is Case No. 3:19-cv-00769, in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio, Western Division.