The Lanier Law Firm Requests National Coordination of DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuits

HOUSTON, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the face of mounting complaints over Pinnacle hip replacements, The Lanier Law Firm is leading a national charge to have all DePuy Pinnacle® Hip Implant lawsuits coordinated at one federal courthouse.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has scheduled a May 16, 2011, hearing in Louisville, Kentucky, to discuss consolidation of In Re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244.

The nationwide hearing on Pinnacle hip implants follows the recent national coordination of lawsuits over the DePuy ASR™ Hip System and the ASR™ XL Acetabular System, which were recalled in August 2010. The DePuy Pinnacle® product, like the ASR devices, utilizes a metal-on-metal design, which experts have identified as a distinct flaw that can cause metal shavings to dislodge inside a patient's body, resulting in infections and other problems.

DePuy, a subsidiary of health care giant Johnson & Johnson, has sold more than 150,000 DePuy Pinnacle® Hip Implant devices, outselling the recalled DePuy ASR hip implant device. The company faces thousands of legal claims filed by hip implant patients across the U.S. as its hip implants have been associated with a high failure rate and often require additional surgeries and treatment for infections.

"DePuy has known for a very long time that these hip implants were created with an inferior design that causes metal-on-metal contact," says The Lanier Law Firm founder Mark Lanier. "Studies have repeatedly shown that an alarming amount of DePuy implant recipients required corrective surgery within five years. Now we have another similarly designed product that apparently is causing the same problems."

The day before the MDL hearing, Mr. Lanier will co-chair a national DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Litigation Conference in Louisville.

With offices in Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Houston and New York, The Lanier Law Firm represents clients across the U.S. in recalled hip implant claims, pharmaceutical liability lawsuits, product liability cases, and many others.

For more information, please contact J.D. Cargill at 713-659-5200.

SOURCE The Lanier Law Firm