DePuy ASR hip recall lawyers at the Pintas & Mullins Law Firm urge anyone with a defective hip device to contact a skilled hip lawyer immediately now that the first ASR hip case to be tried in the United States has reached a settlement.
Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Johnson & Johnson agreed to settle three consolidated Depuy ASR hip cases that were scheduled to go to trial in a Nevada state court in December 2012.
The reported amount of the settlement is approximately $200,000 per case. Court filings show that the same Las Vegas surgeon performed Depuy Hip replacement procedures on all three of the women involved in the litigation within the past six years. All of the women required painful revision surgeries to remove the defective device and experienced pain, bone damage, and other serious side effects.
Pain, bone fractures, and infections are all complaints made by other DePuy ASR hip failure patients that have filed federal and state lawsuits. ASR hip maker Johnson & Johnson recalled about 93,000 devices worldwide in 2010 after learning that at least 12 percent of the ASR hips failed within five years. These failures led to serious injuries and forced patients to undergo debilitating corrective surgeries.
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Metal ions in the bloodstream are also another reported side effect that patients are experiencing. Back in May 2011, the FDA ordered J&J (along with more than 20 other metal-on-metal hip manufacturers) to conduct post-market research into the potential risk of metallosis caused by metal pieces of debris released from the hips.
In all, it is estimated that J&J faces more than 8,000 lawsuits over defective ASR hip implants. Now that the Nevada cases have settled, the first state court case expected to go to trial will take place in Maryland in January 2013. The first federal trial is expected a few months later, in March or April. Some experts estimate that the drugmaker will end up spending at least $2 billion in order to resolve all ASR hip litigation.
The ASR hips are not the only problematic DePuy devices sparking litigation. The Pinnacle hip replacement system is a predecessor of ASR and operates with the same dangerous metal-on-metal design. The threat remains, because the FDA has not yet issued a recall for the DePuy Pinnacle.
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At least 1,800 federal lawsuits have been filed over defective Pinacle hip implants. The first Depuy Pinnacle MDL trial is scheduled for September 2014. Like the ASR hip, toxic metal debris from the Pinnacle hip device may be released into the bloodstream and cause joint tissue death.
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Depuy ASR hip recall lawyers and Pinnacle hip lawyers at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm continue to investigate cases involving patients that have been injured by defective hip implants. Numerous studies have shown that these metal-on-metal devices may cause metal poisoning of the blood or lead to painful corrective surgeries. They have even been associated with higher incidences of bladder and kidney cancer.
With the help of a skilled defective hip lawyer, compensation may available for anyone who received a DePuy ARS hip implant or Depuy Pinnacle hip and experienced pain or required corrective surgery. Thousands of defective hip victims have already started to seek justice from the legal system and may be entitled to receive funds for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We will continue to monitor the status of the defective hip litigation and advocate strongly on behalf of those harmed by defective DePuy hip devices.
Call or text 800-934-6555 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form