DePuy Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit Lawyers: Resource4thePeople Reports Number of Federal Consolidated Cases Climbs to over 8,000
San Diego, Ca (PRWEB) October 29, 2013 -- http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivemedicaldevices/DePuy-ASR-hip-implant.html
Resource4thePeople announced today its latest update to consumers following metal hip implant litigation involving allegations that metal hip systems produced by DePuy Orthopaedics were defectively designed and caused serious health problems after implants.
"The first development is that the number of federal cases from across the country that have been consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio* has now climbed to over 8,000," said Resource4thePeople.
The U.S. Panel for Multidistrict Litigation reports that there are at least 8,313 cases now before Judge David A. Katz in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, according to figures provided in the latest reporting period ending Oct. 17, 2013.**
"As the number of cases has climbed so have the number of inquiries we have received from consumers about their legal rights to seek compensation for any injuries in connection with these allegations," said Resource4thePeople.
"Therefore we are announcing that our national network of attorneys will continue to offer free consultations to consumers who contact us in connection with their allegations as this litigations advances."
The federal cases, and another multidistrict consolidation*** of state cases that now numbers over 600 involving the same allegations over DePuy metal hip implant systems are progressing on parallel tracks, said Resource4thePeople.
Here is a description**** of the common allegations taken from the federal litigation:
"The actions share factual issues as to whether DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular Hip System, a device used in hip replacement surgery, was defectively designed and/or manufactured, and whether DePuy failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the device, which DePuy recalled along with another ASR device,3 the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, in August 2010."
Still pending in the federal multidistrict litigation is the scheduling of the first federal trial involving DePuy Orthopaedics metal-on-metal hip implants, which has been put on hold.
This case***** was filed by a 58-year-old New York woman who is claiming that a DePuy metal hip implant system was defectively designed and caused her to suffer severe injuries, according to the court file.
The case was originally scheduled for trial on September 9, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio, and then rescheduled to Sept. 24, 2013.
"After conferring at length with the trial attorneys handling this matter, the Court has determined that because of the initial continuance of this trial as aforesaid the scheduling of expert witnesses by both parties has become an extremely difficult task," wrote U.S. District Judge David A. Katz in his reschedule notice.
"Additionally, issues remain with regard to scheduling of additional depositions and pretrial discovery which are necessary for the thorough preparation and presentation of this bellwether case. In the interests of justice, judicial economy and to protect the interests of the parties in this case, the adjourned trial date of September 24, 2013 is set aside and continued to the call of the Court, trial to be set to commence within ninety (90) days."
"Given the fact that there are thousands of similar cases and this is a bellwether case in this litigation it is important that both parties receive a fair trial and the judge has expressed his concerns," said Resource4thePeople.
Resource4thePeople also said that claims from consumers involving DePuy products and metal hip implant systems from other manufacturers will continue to be accepted for review by its national network of attorneys.
The first federal bellwether trial***** involves claims from Ann McCracken of Rochester, N.Y., against DePuy and its parent company, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.
According to the court file in her case, McCracken had a DePuy ASR device implanted in her body in August of 2009 and is claiming multiple injuries and two revision hip surgeries.
Among other developments in the DePuy litigation is a report from Bloomberg News that Johnson & Johnson, is considering offering billions of dollars to settle many of the cases.
The Aug. 21, 2013 Bloomberg report****** said that Johnson & Johnson may be seeking to resolve as many as 11,500 lawsuits in the U.S. and has considered paying more than $300,000 per case, which Bloomberg reported, would exceed $3 billion if most plaintiffs accept the terms, an amount 50 percent larger than that proposed in previous discussions.
“This is an extraordinary amount of money and demonstrates the financial exposure which DePuy may face over these allegations involving serious health problems from thousands of hip implant victims,” said Resource4thePeople.
Bloomberg reported that Johnson & Johnson is pushing to resolve U.S. cases by early next year, according to sources within the company.
“J&J’s DePuy unit recalled 93,000 implants in 2010, including 37,000 in the U.S., after more than 12 percent failed within five years,” reported Bloomberg. “That rate is climbing, along with suits by patients blaming the chromium and cobalt devices for pain, metal debris and replacement surgeries.”
DePuy’s parent company, Johnson & Johnson on, May 17, 2013******* announced it was halting sales of metal implant products after two trials in which one jury******** awarded a plaintiff $8.3 million in damages and a second trial********* in which a jury found in favor of DePuy.
Sources:
*In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL-2197, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
**http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_District-October-17-2013.pdf
***In Re: DePuy ASR Hip Implants Litigation, BER-L-3971-11, Superior Court, Bergen County, New Jersey
****http://www.ohnd.uscourts.gov/home/clerk-s-office-and-court-records/multidistrict-litigation-cases/mdl-2197/
*****McCracken v. DePuy, Case # 1:11dp20485, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
******http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/j-j-said-to-weigh-3-billion-settlement-of-its-hip-implant-cases.html
*******http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/j-j-will-stop-sales-of-metal-on-metal-hip-replacements.html
********Kransky v. DePuy, BC456086, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County (Los Angeles).
*********Strum v. DePuy, 2011-L-9352, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
Bill Callahan, iLawSuit, +1 858 602-2749, [email protected]
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