Los Angeles Jury Awards Plaintiff $8.3 Million in J&J DePuy Hip Implant Trial

By on March 12, 2013 - Comments off

On Friday, March 8, 2013, a Los Angeles County jury awarded $8.3 million to the plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging personal injuries resulting from defects in DePuy hip implants. The case was brought against Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit by a 65-year-old former prison guard who alleged that he had suffered from a wide range of health problems caused by a defectively designed DePuy ASR XL hip implant he received in 2007.

Of the approximately 11,000 similar lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson since the metal-on-metal hip replacement systems were recalled two years ago, this was the first such case to go to trial. Many of the plaintiffs claim that the failure of their hip implants has resulted in crippling injuries or replacement surgeries, and that Johnson & Johnson knew of problems with the implants in 2008.

Despite the outcome of the trial, DePuy plans to appeal the decision, and maintains that the ASR XL hip replacement system was properly designed and that the company’s actions were responsible and appropriate.

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