Over 8,600 lawsuits have been filed by people who were injured by the DePuy Pinnacle Ultamet metal-on-metal hip implant. It can shed toxic particles of cobalt and chromium, causing pain and other side effects that require surgery.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
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 the DePuy Pinnacle, 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 us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: $1 Billion in DePuy Pinnacle Award Cut to $500M
In December 2016, a federal jury in Dallas, Texas ordered DePuy and J&J to pay $1.04 billion to 6 people who needed surgery when their Pinnacle Ultamet metal-on-metal hip implant failed. Less than a month later, the judge overseeing the case slashed the verdict to $540 million.
2nd Trial Ends in $500 Million Jury Award
In March 2016, a jury in Dallas, Texas awarded $498 million to five people who were injured by the Pinnacle Ultamet hip implant. However, it was slashed to $150 million under state laws in Texas capping punitive damages. The jury found DePuy liable for selling a defective device and failing to warn about side effects.
Jury Clears DePuy in 1st Pinnacle Hip Trial
The first trial ended in October 2014, with another jury in Dallas unanimously clearing DePuy of wrongdoing. Attorneys claimed that the device-maker knew the Pinnacle was defective in 2001, but failed to withdraw it from the market until August 2013. It was never recalled.
Overview
The Pinnacle Hip Replacement System is manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. It was approved by the FDA in 2000. The metal-on-metal Pinnacle is designed with a cobalt-chromium metal alloy. The metal femoral stem pivots inside a metal acetabular cup.
What is the problem?
A study published in The Lancet in March 2012 found little reason to recommend metal-on-metal hip implants instead of plastic or ceramic designs. Although the all-metal implants were designed to last longer, they have actually been linked to high rates of failure — 6.2% of all-metal hip implants fail within 5 years, compared to 2.3% of ceramic implants, and 2.7% of plastic implants. After the study was published, the researchers called for a ban on all-metal hip implants.
DePuy Stops Selling Ultamet and Complete Liners
In August 2013, DePuy stopped selling the ULTAMET® metal-on-metal and COMPLETE™ ceramic-on-metal hip replacement liners, which were used exclusively with the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System. The action was not considered a recall because it was not initiated due to safety concerns.
Over 8,000 DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuits Centralized in Texas
If you or your loved one has suffered complications from the Pinnacle hip implant, you may be eligible to seek justice and compensation by filing a DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit. More than 8,200 lawsuits have already been filed. Most of them have been centralized in one federal court located in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, in federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2244) under U.S. District Judge James Kinkeade.
Bursal Cysts Linked to Pinnacle Hip Implant
In December 2012, The journal Orthopedics described the case of a 54 year-old woman implanted with a Pinnacle hip implant. The implant shed metal debris, which cause fluid-filled soft-tissue growths called bursal cysts to form in her hip. The cysts cut off circulation to her lower leg and caused swelling. She required revision surgery, and was re-implanted with a ceramic-on-ceramic hip implant.
Side Effects of Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
Unfortunately, over time, the grinding metal parts can shed metal debris. This can cause serious complications that may require revision surgery. Complications and side effects may include:
- Chronic pain in the hip
- Decreased walking ability
- Inflammation and swelling
- Tissue damage or death
- Bone loss, which may complicate revision surgery
- Non-cancerous soft-tissue pseudo-tumors
- Metal poisoning (metallosis)
- Need for revision surgery
- And more
DePuy Pinnacle Recall
The Pinnacle hip implant has not been recalled. You might find that surprising, considering that thousands of people have been injured. Unlike the DePuy ASR (recalled in 2010), DePuy has not offered to pay for revision surgeries for Pinnacle recipients. Unfortunately, many people have been forced to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to pay for revision surgery.
The Pinnacle is actually very similar to the recalled ASR. In fact, when the FDA approved the ASR, they did not require new safety studies because the ASR was “substantially equivalent” to the Pinnacle. DePuy claims that the failure rate of the Pinnacle is similar to other metal hip implants, but they have not reported statistics on the failure-rate.
Do I have a 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 the DePuy Pinnacle, 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 us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
