Thousands of Lawsuits Allege Defective Metal Hip Implants

Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy unit has been accused of defectively designing metal-on-metal hip implants. Numerous plaintiffs have alleged that DePuy knew of the risks but continued to sell these harmful products until Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled more than 90,000 hip implants in 2010. The company claims that 12 percent of DePuy’s hip implants failed within five years.

Metal-on-metal hip implants have been linked with significant and debilitating side effects, including:

• Implant failure
• Dislocated hip
• Non-cancerous tumors
• Toxic substances in bloodstream
• Tissue death

DePuy Wins Second Hip Implant Trial Despite Previous $8.3 Million Loss

Carol Strum, 54, is the plaintiff in the most recent hip implant lawsuit against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson. Strum, an Illinois nurse, alleges that DePuy’s ASR hip replacement system was defective and that the company did not warn about the risks. Her trial began on March 11 and lasted five weeks.

After suffering from hip failure related to arthritis, Strum had her hip replaced with the DePuy ASR hip implant in 2008. Due to the design of the product, she developed high levels of chromium and cobalt in her bloodstream. These metal particles in her blood provided evidence that the metal hip implant was defectively designed. She required a revision surgery in 2011, using a different device.

DePuy has denied that its metal hip replacement implants are defectively designed. The company claims that the physicians were adequately warned about the implant’s known risks. DePuy’s attorneys argued that Strum’s existing health problems were to blame for the device failure.

Strum’s attorney had asked for an award of at least $5 million. After deliberating for more than one day, a divided jury decided in favor of DePuy.

Strum’s lawsuit is the second metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit to go to trial. In the first lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson had been ordered to pay $8.3 million in compensatory damages after a jury in Los Angeles found that the product was defectively designed. The next metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit trial is scheduled to begin in May.

Thousands of Hip Implant Lawsuits Filed throughout U.S.

Close to 11,000 metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits have been filed in the United States. Approximately 8,000 of these cases have been consolidated in a federal court in Toledo, Ohio. More than 2,000 lawsuits are currently pending in California state courts.

If you or someone that you love has experienced debilitating hip implant side effects, contact a hip implant attorney to learn about your legal options. Thousands of people who have suffered hip implant injuries have already filed lawsuits, seeking compensation for their medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages they have experienced from the implant. Plaintiffs in these hip implant lawsuits have been awarded millions of dollars for their injuries.

Visit the DePuy Metal on Metal Hip Implant Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page to find out if you qualify to file a hip implant lawsuit. When you submit information about your hip implant injury, a lawyer will review your claim for free to determine whether you qualify to file a lawsuit. This case evaluation and legal consultation is completely free of charge.