DePuy Pinnacle Hip Lawsuits Surpass 6,000 Complaints Pending in Federal Litigation
If you or someone you love were injured by a failing DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip replacement device, contact Wright & Schulte LLC for a free legal consultation at www.yourlegalhelp.com, or call 1-800-399-0795
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) June 21, 2014
The product liability lawyers at Wright & Schulte LLC note DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, have increased by more than 300 since April. According to litigation statistics, 6,046 DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits are pending as of June 16, 2014, up from 5,704 pending as of April 15, 2014. Federal litigation was established in the Texas federal court to handle the DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits that contend the DePuy metal-on-metal hips failed and required revision surgery, caused blood poisoning and chronic pain due to the alleged defective design of the metal-on-metal hip implant. The hip replacement lawsuit also contends DePuy Orthopedics, the makers of the hip replacement system, failed to provide adequate warning of the safety risks associated with their metal on metal hip implants. (In re: DePuy Orthopedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)
[jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_District-June-16-2014.pdf, June 16, 2014]
The firm is actively representing clients in the DePuy hip lawsuit proceedings and encourage those who have experienced complications from the DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant or other metal-on-metal hip implants to contact the experienced defective product lawyers at Wright & Schulte LLC by calling 1-800-399-0795 or visiting http://www.yourlegalhelp.com. You can also follow the firm on Facebook and like them on twitter for all the current news information on this an other legal news.
Court records indicate the DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits involve DePuy’s metal-on-metal version of the hip implant that uses the Ultamet liner. The DePuy hip replacement lawsuits all allege that after receiving the artificial hip, patients experienced serious complications including excessive levels of cobalt and chromium ions released into their blood stream due to DePuy’s metal-on-metal design. The hip replacement lawsuits also claim that the accumulation of these metal ions in the tissue surrounding the artificial hip can lead to metal poisoning or metallosis), chronic pain, and loosening of the hip resulting in premature failure of the artificial device. The DePuy lawsuits further allege that metal debris that accumulates in the blood stream could cause serious reactions in other parts of the body, including the heart, central nervous system, and kidneys. (In re: DePuy Orthopedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)
In January 2013, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned individuals who had the metal-on-metal version of the hip implant were at risk for the artificial hip failing prematurely because of the metal particles that can be released into the blood stream. The FDA advised recipients of all-metal hip implants to have a blood test done to determine excessive levels of metal ions in their blood if they experienced such symptoms as pain in the groin, hip or leg, swelling at or near the hip joint, or a limp or change in their walking ability. In its January 2013 announcement, the FDA also proposed new rules, which would place all-metal hip devices under greater regulatory oversight. The proposal also required the makers of all-metal hip devices that are already selling on the market to conduct post-market safety studies of their products if they wanted to continue selling them.
[fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/Metalon
MetalHipImplants/ucm241769.htm, FDA, January 2013]
Fourth months after the FDA’s announcement, Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, decided to stop selling all-metal hip implants, including the metal-on-metal version of the Pinnacle hip, according to a Bloomberg news report. DePuy acknowledged in the Bloomberg article that the FDA’s actions helped the company reach a decision to stop selling the all-metal version of its hip replacement system. The company, however, denied the allegations in the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits. [bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/j-j-will-stop-sales-of-metal-on-metal-hip-replacements.html, Bloomberg.com, May 17, 2013]
In May 2014, Wright & Schulte filed an additional DePuy hip replacement lawsuit against DePuy Orthopedics, on behalf of an Ohio man who alleges that he suffered from metal poisoning (metallosis) as a result of his DePuy all-metal artificial hip implant. According to the lawsuit, the man underwent multiple revision surgeries since March 2012 to replace his right artificial hip. The complaint purports that in July 2012, an infection developed in the man’s right hip, which caused his prosthesis to be removed and replaced by an antibiotic spacer, resulting in the man having to live without a hip for months while his infection was treated. The complaint, filed as part of the federal litigation pending in the Northern Texas court, further alleges that the man suffered a heart attack and kidney failure due to infection from the hip replacement device. (case 3:14-cv-406)
Recipients of the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system may be eligible to file their own DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit if they experienced complications from the device, including chronic pain, premature failure of the hip, and revisions surgeries to replace the artificial hip. To learn more about filing a lawsuit or to arrange for a free legal consultation with a product liability attorney at Wright & Schulte LLC, please visit yourlegalhelp.com or call 1-800-399-0795.
About Wright & Schulte LLC
Wright & Schulte LLC, an experienced personal injury firm, is dedicated to the belief that America’s legal system should work for the people. Every day, the attorneys of Wright & Schulte LLC stand up for the rights of people who have been injured or wronged and fight tirelessly to ensure that even the world’s most powerful corporations take responsibility for their actions. If you’re looking for a law firm that will guarantee the aggressive and personal representation you deserve, please do not hesitate to contact Wright & Schulte LLC today through yourlegalhelp.com or by calling 1-800-399-0795.
Contact:
Wright & Schulte LLC
812 East National Road
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
1-800-399-0795
http://www.yourlegalhelp.com
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