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DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuits Piling Up

By Renee Nordstrand on December 19, 2012

DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of health care giant Johnson & Johnson, has been facing its fair share of problems over its defective ASR XL Acetabular System total hip replacement and it ASR Hip resurfacing system. Now, Drugwatch .com has revealed that as of November of this year, DePuy is facing nearly 2,700 lawsuits over its Pinnacle Hip Implants.

Unlike the ASR and ASR XL hip implant systems, the Pinnacle implant has yet to be recalled by Johnson & Johnson. DePuy currently is facing some 6,200 hip implant lawsuits for injuries from recalled ASR devices.

The burgeoning number of Pinnacle lawsuits, which have been filed in federal court, may be consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL). An MDL consolidates cases that are similar in claims and scope to streamline the discovery phase. The first trial in the Pinnacle MDL is scheduled for May 2014.

Many of the lawsuits filed over the Pinnacle hip implants claim that the devices are defective and can cause serious adverse complications. Litigants claim that the metal-on-metal components rub against each other, which make the implants prone to early failure. This can lead to painful and potentially dangerous revision surgeries. There are also concerns about metallosis, a blood poisoning caused by microscopic bits of chromium and cobalt being released into the blood stream.

If you’ve been the victim of a Pinnacle hip implant failure that requires corrective surgery or have suffered adverse effects due to a defective DePuy hip implant device, a California hip implant failure lawyer at the Law Offices of Renée J. Nordstrand can help you hold the company liable for the losses and damages you’ve experienced. We are dedicated to obtaining maximum compensation for our clients

Contact our Southern California Offices in Encino (818) 981-3530 if you have a question about your legal rights. Your consultation is free.