Woman Sues J&J Over Defective DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant

By Sarah Mirando | August 9, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

By Matt O’Donnell

A Michigan woman has filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, alleging she had to undergo revision surgery to replace her defective DePuy Pinnacle hip implant. DePuy is facing more than 3,500 hip implant lawsuits alleging that its ASR hip replacement systems were defectively designed, and 900 lawsuits alleging that its metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip replacement systems were defectively designed. The majority of the lawsuits were filed after an August 2010 DePuy ASR recall, in which the public first learned these all-metal hip implants were causing severe complications.

Plaintiff Glennie Faulkner alleges in the DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit that she had the metal-on-metal hip replacement system implanted in July 2003, which constituted the Pinnacle Marathon Acetabular Liner, Pinnacle Sector II Acetabular Cup, Apex Hole Eliminator and DePuy S-ROM Femoral Head. According to her lawsuit, Faulkner started suffering complications caused by the defective device, including severe pain and loss of mobility. Faulkner was eventually forced to undergo revision surgery in May 2012 to replace the defective Pinnacle hip implant when the complications became unbearable.

DePuy Orthopaedics is facing thousands of defective hip implant lawsuits alleging its metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip replacement systems and all-metal ASR hip replacement systems are causing severe complications in patients. The complications are due to side effects caused by the metal components of the devices rubbing together and shedding metal ions into the bloodstream. Common metal-on-metal hip implant side effects include:

* blood poisoning (metallosis)

* local tissue damage

* bone damage

* pseudotumors

* pain and swelling

* popping, squeaking sounds

* dislocated hip

In March 2010, data from a UK study found that the DePuy ASR system had a higher than expected revision rate of up to 9% within three years of implantation. Five months later, on August 24, 2010, DePuy issued a voluntary recall of the DePuy ASR total hip system after learning of new, unpublished data from the UK joint registry indicating a revision rate of nearly 13% within 5 years of implantation. The DePuy ASR recall was the first time most patients learned that their complications, pain and suffering were likely caused by a defective ASR hip implant, spurring a massive wave of lawsuits against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson.

More than 3,500 of these ASR hip implant lawsuits are pending in multidistrict litigation known as In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2197), and nearly 900 Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits are pending in an MDL called In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2244). The MDLs were created to help expedite the settlement process, which is good news for metal-on-metal hip implant patients hoping to seek compensation from DePuy and Johnson & Johnson for their injuries. An MDL is different from a class action lawsuit because it allows each Plaintiff to retain their individual lawsuit claim and seek an individual settlement award, rather than sharing a class action lawsuit settlement with other Class Members.

If you suffered side effects of a metal-on-metal hip implant such as the DePuy ASR or DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement systems, you should speak with a compensation specialist about your legal options. You may have a claim to file a DePuy ASR lawsuit, DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit, class action lawsuit, or join one of the DePuy MDLs.

Visit the DePuy Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Class Action Lawsuit Investigation for more information, and submit your information to metal hip implant attorneys actively investigating all claims of metal hip implant side effects. The hip implant lawyers working this investigation don’t get paid unless you do.

Updated August 9th, 2012

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