Lawsuits against the manufacturers of defective hip replacements are gaining wide publicity. The New York Times, in an article dated a week ago, comments on the rising cost manufacturers are likely to pay in the near future for the 5,000 lawsuits already filed. People across the United States are incurring thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical bills due to these failing hip replacements. Among these costs are doctor’s bills, hospital stays, and additional surgeries. Numerous hip implants are not lasting their expected life, but are instead failing prematurely, making revision surgeries or additional hip replacements necessary. Medical experts are estimating that the failure of these devices will cost those involved billions of dollars in upcoming years.

The hip replacements that are currently causing these adverse side effects and giving rise to lawsuits are the all-metal hip implants. According to a recent study, nearly 1/3 of about 250,000 hip replacements implanted in the United States per year were all-metal implants. Therefore, approximately 500,000 people in the United States alone have been implanted with these metal hip implants.

DePuy Orthopedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, and Zimmer Holdings are two giants amongst a more widespread group of manufacturers and are currently facing lawsuits for their defective hip implants. But, while these two manufacturers dominate the hip replacement industry, they are not the only players involved, suggesting the complexity of this issue. All-metal hip implants come in a variety of models manufactured by numerous different companies; they are not uniform and produced under the management of just one company.  

If you think you have suffered a hip replacement failure due to the defective design of the all-metal hip implant, contact the hip replacement attorneys at Arias, Ozzello & Gignac today. Our experienced attorneys offer a free consultation to discuss your legal options.