Number of Federal DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuits Nearing 3,000
The Rottenstein Law Group, which represents clients with claims stemming from the surgical implantation of hip replacement devices manufactured and sold by DePuy Orthopaedics and other companies, notes that the number of federal Pinnacle hip device lawsuits has passed 2,500.
A “statistics report” dated November 14, 2012, prepared by the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to show the distribution of pending Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) dockets reveals that as of the report date there are 2,682 federal actions now pending and consolidated in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (in a matter known as “IN RE: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation,” no. MDL 2244).
According to complaints filed by recipients of DePuy’s Pinnacle hip replacement implants, the devices have loosened prematurely and, like other metal-on-metal hip implants, are releasing potentially toxic particles into patients’ bloodstreams. Pretrial proceedings in MDL 2244 have been progressing apace since the Pinnacle MDL case was created in May 2011, and the first trials of included matters are tentatively scheduled to begin in May 2014. Although the number of lawsuits is regularly increasing, the Pinnacle devices, unlike DePuy’s ASR hip replacements, have not been recalled.
Rochelle Rottenstein, principal of the Rottenstein Law Group, implores anyone with a friend or relative who has received a dangerous hip implant or other medical device to reach out to that person and recommend that he or she consult a physician immediately and then speak to a qualified personal injury lawyer.
