Third Week of DePuy Pinnacle Hip Lawsuit Trial Focuses on Clinical Testing of Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant, Wright & Schulte LLC Reports
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) September 20, 2014 -- The first federal bellwether trial of a DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuit is now in its third week in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Wright & Schulte LLC reports. Court documents indicate that the week opened in the DePuy Pinnacle Hip lawsuit trial with testimony from a DePuy Orthopaedics vice president, who discussed the clinical testing performed on a metal-on-metal version of the company’s Pinnacle hip replacement. According to Reuters, the executive stated that the Pinnacle hip was not subjected to any tests that measured the health effects of metal debris prior to 2001. Though the Plaintiffs’ attorney pointed out that research as early as 1974 had suggested that metal-on-metal hips might be problematic, the witness maintained that the company had followed industry standards and performed all necessary testing to ensure the hip implant devices were safe. (Herlihy-Paoli v. DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., 11-cv-3590)
[reuters.com/article/2014/09/16/johnson-johnson-hips-trial
-idUSL1N0RG2KG20140916, Reuters, September 15, 2014]
Wright & Schulte LLC is currently representing clients from around the country in Metal-on-Metal Hip lawsuits and has recently filed four more DePuy Hip lawsuits in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas alleging pain, risky revision surgery and metalosis. If you have purportedly suffered from a DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant or other metal-on-metal hip implants contact one of the firms attorneys for a free legal evaluation by calling 1-800-399-0795 or visit http://www.yourlegalhelp.com for more information. (In Re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)
According to court documents, the Plaintiff in this DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuit has alleged that the company was negligent, and failed to subject the metal-on-metal implant to adequate testing. She further alleges that the metal-on-metal version is associated with an unacceptably high failure rate of 14% within 7 years of implantation. The 58-year-old Plaintiff is a resident of Montana who received two all-metal Pinnacle hips in 2009. She underwent revision surgery in 2009 due to a number of complications, including blood cobalt levels that were 85 times higher than normal. Her lawsuit alleges that the defective design of the metal-on-metal Pinnacle allowed toxic metal ions to leech into her tissue and blood stream.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2003 that patients fitted with all-metal hips were at risk for premature device failure due to metal ions that can be shed from the devices. The agency has proposed new rules that, among other things, would require the manufacturers of all-metal hips already on the market to conduct post-market safety studies of their products if they wanted to keep selling them. The FDA also has advised patients with metal-on-metal hips to undergo blood tests to detect excessive levels of metal ions in their blood if they experience any problems with their implant.
[fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/Implants
andProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241769.htm, FDA, January 2013]
Court documents indicate that more than 6,000 DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits are currently pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. All of these lawsuits allege that recipients of the metal-on-metal version of the hip implant are at risk for painful and debilitating complications including metallosis, chronic pain, adverse local tissue reactions, and premature hip failure. (In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)
Bloomberg.com reported in May 2013 that DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, would no longer market metal-on-metal hip implants, including the all-metal Pinnacle device. While the company continues to maintain that the implant is safe, DePuy did acknowledge that the FDA’s actions in regards to metal-on-metal hips helped to drive the decision.
[bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/j-j-will-stop-sales-of-metal-on-metal-hip-replacements.html, Bloomberg.com, May 17, 2013]
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. Free DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuit case evaluations are available 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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Richard Schulte, Wright & Schulte LLC, http://yourlegalhelp.com/, +1 1-800-399-0795, [email protected]
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