The first three plaintiffs fighting against faulty hip replacement devices manufactured by Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy division supposedly settled last week for a lower amount than expected.
Now, however, the plaintiffs are filing for a “Motion Striking Confidentiality from Settlement Agreement,” alleging that the defendants released information about the settlement to mislead the media about the amount. They claim the information was distorted by the defendants, and the motion was filed so the plaintiffs could come forward and set the record straight.
Johnson & Johnson recalled 93,000 DePuy Hip Replacement devices in 2010, but has been bombarded with lawsuits because of extremely harmful side effects associated with all-metal devices. While the devices were initially touted as stronger than their plastic or ceramic counterparts, they have generally failed within 5 years after surgery, and have also been associated with metal debris injuries, tissue degeneration, infection, and metallosis.
The original article about the settlement, released by Bloomberg, stated that each of the three plaintiffs would receive $200,000 – which meant that Johnson & Johnson would pay only $600,000 total, much less than was expected. One estimate suggested the manufacturer may even pay as much as $2 million.
The legal battle for Johnson & Johnson is far from over. More than 6,000 cases against DePuy ASR hips have been filed in a multidistrict litigation, MDL 2197. The MDL is presided over by Judge David A. Katz in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Johnson & Johnson also faces another MDL against its DePuy products, this time for the Pinnacle model.
If you or a loved one have had hip replacement surgery that used an all-metal device manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, and have since experienced harmful side effects including metallosis and device failure, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are accepting cases nationwide, so contact us today for a free consultation. 803.252.4800.