Michael McGlamry and M.J. Blakely of Pope McGlamry Appointed to Plaintiffs Executive Committees for Stryker LFit V40 Litigation

ATLANTA, July 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael L. McGlamry and Michael J. Blakely of Pope McGlamry, P.C., a trial law firm with locations in Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, have been appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committees in separate but related coordinated litigations.  Mr. McGlamry was appointed a member of the Plaintiffs' Executive committee for the multi-county litigation ("MCL"), In re: Stryker LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Heads Litigation, in New Jersey by Superior Court Judge Rachelle Harz, and Mr. Blakely was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the multi-district litigation ("MDL"), In re: Stryker Orthopaedics LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation, by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, District Court of Massachusetts.  

The lawsuits coordinated in New Jersey State Court and in the District of Massachusetts allege hip implants designed and manufactured by Stryker Orthopaedics are defective.  According to the plaintiffs, the Stryker LFit V40 femoral head, a component of Stryker's hip implant that fits into the hip socket and is attached to the femoral stem, has been plagued with numerous corrosion related problems.  Many of the plaintiffs report adverse tissue reactions and spontaneous dissociation, which requires extensive surgery to repair.  Plaintiffs suffer such injuries as severe pain, inflammation, metallosis, joint instability, dislocation, broken bones in the area of the implant, leg length discrepancy and loss of mobility.  The Stryker LFit V40 was recalled in August 2016.

Mr. McGlamry and Mr. Blakely's appointments to the respective state court MCL and federal court MDL provide a unique opportunity for Pope McGlamry, P.C., to oversee and manage parallel litigation.  Moreover, as Georgia lawyers, their appointments underscore Georgia as a jurisdiction where large scale coordinated litigation can be competently carried out.  Unlike states such as California and New York, Georgia has not historically been a hub for MDLs and other coordinated litigation.  However, as the JPML makes a concerted effort to broaden the roster of federal judges with experience managing MDL dockets, an increasing number of MDLs are being sent to Georgia, and Georgia lawyers are being called upon by courts to serve in leadership roles.  For example, U.S. District Judge Richard Story of the Northern District of Georgia, recently became the transferee judge in In Re: Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Hernia Mesh, and U.S. District Judge William Duffey presided over In Re: Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Conserve Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation.  Mr. McGlamry is Co-Lead Counsel in In Re: Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Conserve Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, and helped negotiate a $240 million dollar settlement agreement last year. 

Mr. McGlamry expressed his eagerness to serve as a member of the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in New Jersey State Court stating, "I hope with this appointment, I can help obtain justice for the victims and their families."  Mr. Blakely added that he takes the appointment by Judge Talwani very seriously stating, "I'm honored to be chosen by Judge Talwani to help lead this important litigation."

About Pope McGlamry

Both Mr. McGlamry and Mr. Blakely have considerable experience with cases involving defective medical devices, including previous lawsuits against Stryker.  Pope McGlamry is a nationwide civil trial law firm that specializes in the handling of significant business fraud and commercial tort cases, often involving extensive damages; contract disputes; business to business litigation; cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death involving issues related to automotive and general products liability; car, truck, and construction accidents; consumer litigation, including deceptive trade practices; insurance coverage litigation and premises liability cases. 

Sources

Stryker Hip Lawsuit News: Federal MDL Court Mulling Remand of Three LFIT V40 Femoral Head Claims, Bernstein Liebhard LLP, June 2017, http://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/news/2017/06/23/stryker-hip-lawsuit-news-federal-mdl-court-mulling-remand-of-three-lfit-v40-femoral-head-claims/

Defendants Oppose Remand of 3 LFIT Cases, Say Claims Against Nondiverse Distributor Preempted, HarrisMartin Publishing, June 2017, https://harrismartin.com/article/22439/defendants-oppose-remand-of-3-lfit-cases-say-claims-against-nondiverse-distributor-preempted/

NJ Stryker Hip Implant Suits Consolidated In State Court, Law 360, June 2017, http://www.pmkm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NJ-Stryker-Hip-Implant-Suits-Consolidated-In-State-Court-Law360.pdf

Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuits Consolidated In Massachusetts Federal Court, The Legal Examiner, April 2017, http://newyorkcity.legalexaminer.com/medical-devices-implants/stryker-hip-implant-lawsuits-consolidated-in-massachusetts-federal-court/

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SOURCE Pope McGlamry