Johnson & Johnson is the owner of DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implants that were manufactured and distributed without any warnings by Johnson & Johnson of dangerous risks with the product. In fact, they promoted them as being safe, durable, and long-lasting despite the fact they knew of the risks of device failure, tissue death, bone erosion, and high levels of metal in the blood of patients with the implant! Johnson & Johnson especially pushed them for implanting in younger, active patients before they finally stopped selling them in 2013.
A two month trial took place before the jury awarded $140 million in compensatory damages and $360 million in punitive damages to the involved plaintiffs. Despite the fact that Johnson & Johnson was found to have designed defective hip implants and then keeping the medical community and consumers in the dark about their risks, the company plans to appeal the verdict. This trial was the second Pinnacle Bellwether trial regarding the DePuy hip implants. Johnson & Johnson also had a separate metal-on-metal hip device called the ASR for which they had to pay out $2.5 billion in 2013 to settle over seven thousand lawsuits.
If you or a loved one has had a hip replacement surgery utilizing a DePuy hip implant and has had resulting injury, do not hesitate to contact Inserra & Kelley Law Offices for consultation as to whether you may be entitled to compensation.