Last week, a Dallas federal jury issued a $1 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopaedics subsidiary over the sale of defective metal-on-metal hip implant devices. The verdict includes $32 million in actual damages and $1.009 billion in punitive damages, which will be paid to six people from California who suffered bone erosion, tissue death and other severe medical problems following implantation of defective Pinnacle hip implant devices. All six plaintiffs also underwent revision surgeries to replace their implants and correct damages they caused. The jury ruled the implants were defective by design and officials from Johnson & Johnson and Depuy intentionally misrepresented the dangers of the devices for monetary gain. The implants have metal sockets instead of ceramic or polyethylene sockets, which are considered safer materials. When a metal socket rubs against the ball head it can cause corrosion as well as bone and tissue erosion. Johnson & Johnson and Depuy denied any wrongdoing for the development and marketing of the hip implants and plan to appeal this verdict immediately. This was the third test case in a collection of bellwether cases held by a U.S. District Judge. The first bellwether case was heard in Oct. 2014 and the jury ruled in Johnson & Johnson's favor. The second case was heard in March 2015, with the jury awarding $502 million in damages to five Texans. However, a Texas law capping damage awards reduced damages to $113 million. A fourth trial against Johnson & Johnson over these hip implants is scheduled for Sept. 2017. Across the country, more than 8,900 lawsuits have been filed against both Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary regarding these defective hip implants. The cases have been consolidated as multi-district litigation. Sales of Pinnacle hip implants were discontinued in 2013 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strengthened regulations on artificial hip implants. The same year, Johnson & Johnson and DePuy agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement of more than 7,000 lawsuits concerning ASR metal-on-metal hip implants. If you suffered complications after undergoing a hip replacement surgery using a Johnson & Johnson metal-on-metal hip implant device, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact our Cincinnati metal-on-metal hip implant lawyers to find out your legal options. We are firmly committed to holding manufacturers accountable for producing and marketing defective devices that can cause injuries to consumers.
Jury Hits Johnson & Johnson With $1 Billion Verdict In Hip Implant Case
