Thousands of people have filed lawsuits after they were injured by the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant. This metal-on-metal hip implant can potentially shed toxic nano-particles of metal into a patient’s body and cause debilitating side effects.
Do I Have a Hip Implant Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one has been injured by the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
UPDATE: $1 Billion Pinnacle Jury Verdict Cut in Half
January 4, 2017 — Judge in Dallas cuts $500 million off a $1.04 billion jury award to six people who were injured by the Pinnacle, citing “constitutional concerns” about excessive jury verdicts. Click here to read more.
December 1, 2016 — A federal jury in Dallas, Texas awarded over $1 billion to six plaintiffs from California who were injured by the Pinnacle Ultamet metal-on-metal hip implant. Click here to read more.
March 29, 2016 — A federal jury in Texas has awarded $498 million to five people who were injured by a metal-on-metal hip replacement made by DePuy Orthopedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Click here to read more.
October 24, 2014 — A jury in Dallas, Texas has unanimously cleared DePuy of wrongdoing in the first “bellwether” case to go to trial involving the Pinnacle, a metal-on-metal hip implant. Click here to read more.
September 17, 2014 — Reuters reports that lawyers for a woman who was injured by the Pinnacle hip implant grilled executives from Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopedics in the first “bellwether” trial out of more than 6,400 lawsuits. Click here to read more.
September 11, 2014 — Bloomberg reports that trial attorneys for a woman who was injured by the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant allege that the device-maker knew it was defective in 2001, but failed to withdraw it from the market until August 2013. Click here to read more.
July 28, 2014 — Approximately 6,400 lawsuits have been filed against DePuy Orthopedics by people who were injured by the Pinnacle, a metal-on-metal hip replacement, according to a Master Case List (PDF). The first “bellwether” trials are set to begin September 2014 and DePuy has lost a bid to dismiss the claims. Click here to read more.
August 2013 — DePuy stopped selling the ULTAMET® metal-on-metal and COMPLETE™ ceramic-on-metal hip replacement liners, which were used exclusively with the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System. Click here to read more.
January 30, 2013 — Lawyers have agreed upon a selection process for the first bellwether trials, set to begin in September 2014. Click here to read more.
December 12, 2012 — The journal Orthopedics describes the case of a 54 year-old woman implanted with a Pinnacle hip implant. The implant shed metal debris, which cause fluid-filled soft-tissue growths called bursal cysts to form in her hip. The cysts cut off circulation to her lower leg and caused swelling. She required revision surgery, and was re-implanted with a ceramic-on-ceramic hip implant. Click here to read more.
December 6, 2012 — There are currently 3,202 DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits filed in a federal Multi-District Litigation located in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Click here to read more.
What is the problem?
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. manufactures the Pinnacle hip implant, which was approved by the FDA in 2000. One type of Pinnacle is a metal-on-metal design, which means that the metal femoral head (“ball”) pivots inside a metal acetabular cup.
In recent years, there have been several high-profile recalls of metal-on-metal hip implants. In March 2012, a study published in The Lancet found that 6.2% of metal-on-metal hip implants fail within 5 years, compared to just 2.3% of metal-on-ceramic implants and 2.7% of metal-on-plastic implants. Because the researchers could find no benefit of all-metal hip implants compared to plastic and ceramic designs, they called for a ban on metal-on-metal hip implants.
Side Effects of Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
One problem with metal-on-metal hip implants is that the metal parts grinding together can shed tiny nano-particles of toxic metal into a patient’s body. These metal particles may inflame or irritate tissue surrounding the implant. They can also get into a patient’s bloodstream and cause metal poisoning. Side effects may include:
- Chronic hip pain
- Inflammation
- Tissue damage or death
- Bone loss
- Non-cancerous pseudotumors
- Decreased walking ability
- Metallosis (metal poisoning)
- Revision surgery
- And more
DePuy Pinnacle Recall
DePuy has not recalled the Pinnacle hip implant, despite the fact that thousands of people have been seriously injured. Furthermore, the DePuy ASR hip implant (which was recalled in 2010) was approved by the FDA without new safety studies because it was “substantially equivalent” to the Pinnacle. The recalled ASR and the Pinnacle are both metal-on-metal hip implants, but the ASR has a larger femoral head. DePuy alleges that the failure rate of the Pinnacle is similar to other metal hip implants, but they have not disclosed the exact percent of Pinnacle implants that have failed.
DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuits
As of March 2016, the litigation involves more than 8,200 lawsuits. All of the lawsuits allege that the Pinnacle is defectively designed, and DePuy failed to adequately warn about the risk. DePuy has not offered to pay for revision surgeries due to problems with the Pinnacle. Thousands of people have been forced to pay out-of-pocket expenses for revision surgery. Many have lost wages due to their injuries, surgery, and rehabilitation. Some people are unable to work due to permanent injuries.
Do I have a DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuit?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact us for a free case review.