Hip Replacement Lawsuits Plentiful and Winnable

Hip replacement surgeries involve completely or partially replacing the hip with manmade implants made from metals, ceramics or plastics. These surgeries can result in serious side effects and health problems for the patients who undergo them. There are a large number of lawsuits active and pending today, and if you wish to file a claim of your own due to a failed hip replacement causing pain and suffering, contact the Cambridge personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman LLP today to get started.

According to Drug Watch, there are nearly 30,000 hip replacement lawsuits, including nearly 15,000 pending suits, occurring at this time. These suits involve major companies involved in the production of various hip replacement implant technologies, such as DePuy, Stryker, Biomet, Smith & Nephew, Wright and Zimmer. DePuy, alone, is responsible for around 12,000 lawsuits against their implants.

Many of these lawsuits become part of multi-district litigations, where similar lawsuits involving the same product from many different places are grouped together in order to assist the plaintiffs and defendants’ ability to argue their case and help facilitate the speed at which the suits can be heard and ruled upon. It may be the best course of action for your suit to become part of an MDL, which we can provide more information about.

Filing suit against a medical device company can result in significant financial compensation should you be successful, however you will need the guidance of a good attorney to get there.

DePuy manufactures many different medical devices, including components for hip replacements. The company, owned by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, currently has over 11,000 pending lawsuits against their Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System and their ASR Hip Resurfacing System.

The company emerged victorious from the first batch of lawsuits against its hip implant technologies but has since paid out $4.4 billion in settlements of over 9,000 lawsuits stemming from their ASR model between 2013 and 2015. Since 2015, DePuy has paid out $1.7 billion stemming from three trials related to their Pinnacle hip implant technology. One of those trials was overturned through appeals in April.

Based in the United Kingdom, Smith & Nephew have combined numerous lawsuits in the state of Maryland into an MDL regarding their BHR and R3 hip implants. There are a total of 740 hip replacement lawsuits filed against it from places around the world, with 190 cases still pending. The company has been fined in the past, to the tune of nearly $30 million, for paying surgeons kickbacks to use their hip replacement products over competitors. They have also seen products recalled due complications the implants caused patients. Another multimillion dollar settlement is expected at some point in 2018.

Stryker has recently recalled over 42,000 of their LFIT V40 femoral head components made between 2002 and 2011 due to a tendency for the femur heads to fail following their implantation. According to Cosumer Safety, the potential cost of this recall in terms of settlements likely to be paid out could number in the area of $1.5 billion. The company had to settle for a similar amount of money after 5,000 lawsuits came in as a result of a different hip implant they manufactured in December of 2014. Each plaintiff who agreed to the settlement was to receive at least $300,000.

Biomet, which merged with Zimmer in 2015, has faced hundreds of lawsuits in regards to its Biomet M2a Magnum and Biomet M2a38 metal-on-metal hip implants devices. These suits were settled to the tune of $56 million, netting each plaintiff at least $200,000. There are an additional 310 lawsuits against the company since March 2018.

Wright hip replacement lawsuits have recently been settled for large sums, including a $240 million settlement in November of 2016 and a $90 million settlement in October of 2017. Combined, these two settlements comprised about 2,000 separate lawsuits against the company.

Hip implant malfunctions can result in horrifically painful injuries that seriously affect your daily life and can even put you at risk of serious infections or other life-threatening complications. An experienced hip replacement attorney from Altman & Altman will help you figure out how to best proceed with a suit against whatever hip replacement company is responsible for your malfunctioning device.

If you or a loved one has experienced severe complications following a hip replacement procedure, contact the law offices of Altman & Altman LLP online or by phone for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617.492.3000 or toll-free at 800.481.6199. We are available 24/7.