August 29, 2013 — According to Bloomberg, Johnson & Johnson is considering paying $300,000 per case to settle as many as 11,500 lawsuits involving the DePuy ASR hip implant. If most plaintiffs agree to the proposed $3 billion settlement, it would be the largest settlement in the history of defective hip implant litigation.
One year ago, J&J paid $600,000 to settle three ASR lawsuits in Nevada before they went to trial. Experts said these settlements, at about $200,000 per plaintiff, were on the low end of an expected payout between $200,000 – $500,000.
$8.3 Million Award in DePuy ASR Lawusit
In March 2013, J&J was ordered to pay $8.3 million to Loren Kransky, a retried prison guard from Montana who was forced to use a wheelchair after he was injured by the ASR. The damages included more than $338,000 for medical expenses and $8 million for pain and suffering.
ASR Hip Implant Controversy
The problem with the DePuy ASR hip implant is its metal-on-metal design. This design was marketed toward younger patients because manufacturers claimed it would last longer. Instead, studies have linked the ASR to at least a 12% five-year failure-rate — and that number continues to grow as more and more patients begin suffering adverse effects.
The metal design is prone to corrosion, flaking, and chipping of tiny metal particles when the metal-on-metal parts grind together. Over time, the implant may shed toxic metal debris around the hip and into a patient’s bloodstream. This can lead to local tissue reactions (pain, inflammation, soft-tissue growths) as well as systemic reactions in other areas of the body due to metallosis (metal poisoning).
Do I have a Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting defective hip implant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by a hip implant, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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