January 9, 2014 — On December 10, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) outlined the selection process for bellwether trials involving the the Biomet M2A Magnum hip replacement. Approximately 893 cases have been centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Lawyers for plaintiffs and defendants will have until February 7, 2014 to select three cases as trial candidates. Discovery on those cases must be competed by April 18, 2014. Up to five bellwether trials will likely begin as early as June 2015.
The MDL was established in October 2012. Many other manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip implants are facing thousands of lawsuits, and the first settlements have been reached for people who were injured by the DePuy ASR hip implant.
Like the ASR, the Biomet M2A Magnum is a metal-on-metal hip implant that is designed with a metal “ball-and-socket.” The problem with this design is that tiny particles of chromium and cobalt can shed into a patient’s body when the parts grind together. Over time, this can increase the risk of metal poisoning, premature failure of the implant, and revision surgery.
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