National Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Attorneys
“Metal-on-metal hip implants have been tied to high and premature failure rates and numerous alleged, adverse medical reactions,” said Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP.
Port Washington, New York (PRWEB) November 05, 2014
Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of victims injured by defective drugs and medical devices, reports that healthcare giant, Johnson & Johnson, may settle for more than $250 million to resolve lawsuits that were brought over its DePuy Orthopaedics unit’s ASR (articular surface replacements) metal-on-metal hip implant devices. The potential settlement involves cases that were not included in a 2013 settlement of $2.5 billion that involved similar device failure claims, according to an October 13, 2014 Bloomberg News report. The consolidated federal case is: In re DePuy Orthopedics Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, 10-MD-2197, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio (Toledo).
Last year’s settlement was designed to compensate DePuy ASR hip implant patients in the United States who underwent revision surgery as of August 31, 2013 and to replace their implant, or implants, for reasons related to the recall. The dollar amount was based on an estimate of the 8,000 patients who underwent revision surgeries and who participated in the settlement, Parker Waichman LLP explained.
Johnson & Johnson, the largest seller of health care products worldwide, is considering settling the more than 1,000 lawsuits that involve revision surgeries that were needed to remove the recalled ASR devices from patients’ bodies, according to Bloomberg News. Johnson & Johnson may extend similar settlement terms to what was seen in the 2013 settlement in which the device maker agreed to pay about $250,000 per surgery and also agreed to cover related medical costs to resolve about 8,000 cases.
“This is a sign that J&J is trying to get a solid handle on its whole ASR problem,” Carl Tobias, who teaches product-liability law at the University of Richmond in Virginia, told Bloomberg News. “They are not done paying yet, but they are moving in the right direction.” Should this potential agreement finalize, Johnson & Johnson will have settled most—about 75 percent—of all of its United States lawsuits on the matter, with total U.S. settlement costs likely exceeding $4 billion.
“Metal-on-metal hip implants have been tied to high and premature failure rates and numerous alleged, adverse medical reactions,” said Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP. “Our clients have also alleged that debris from the chromium and cobalt hip devices have caused tissue death and increased blood metal ion levels.”
Some of the adverse reactions, according to Parker Waichman LLP, include, but are not limited to, increased blood metal ion levels and metal poisoning; dislocations; pain; fracture; difficulty ambulating, rising, standing, and balancing; noise emanating from the joint; and pseudotumors.
Parker Waichman LLP is representing, and has represented, clients in several litigations related to various metal-on-metal hip implants in addition to this multidistrict litigation (MDL) such as, In re: Biomet M2a Magnum Hip Implants Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2391) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division. A multicounty litigation (MCL) entitled In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and ABG II Modular Hip Stem Litigation (MCL No. 296) in New Jersey’s Superior Court of Bergen County had also been brought involving all-metal hip devices.
Parker Waichman LLP continues to offer free legal consultations to victims of DePuy ASR and other metal-on-metal hip implant injuries. If you or a loved one experienced premature failure of your implant or other health problems associated with a recalled DePuy ASR Hip Implant or other metal-on-metal hip implant, please contact their office by visiting the firm's DePuy ASR hip implant injury page at yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).