DALLAS, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal
court jury in Texas returned a
$247 million verdict on behalf of six
people who suffered serious medical complications caused by the
defective metal-on-metal hip implants made by Johnson & Johnson
(NYSE: JNJ) and its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics Inc.
The one-man, seven-woman jury deliberated for 14 hours before
reaching its verdict, which includes more than $78 million in compensatory damages for the six
plaintiffs and more than $168 million
in punitive damages assessed against Johnson & Johnson and
DePuy.
The verdict, delivered November 16,
2017, follows claims filed by New
York residents Ramon Alicea,
Uriel Barzel, Karen Kirschner, Hazel
Miura, Michael Stevens, and
Eugene Stevens who received DePuy's
Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System hip implant. The plaintiffs alleged
that the devices had unreasonably high failure rates resulting in
severe pain and inflammation, bone erosion, tissue loss and other
problems. The victims further claimed that DePuy officials knew
about the dangers of the Pinnacle hip implants but failed to warn
doctors or patients.
"We thank this jury for sending a very strong message about the
responsibility the defendants have to take care of their
consumers," said lead attorney Mark
Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm in Houston. "Unfortunately, it took the
defendants putting the plaintiffs through burdensome litigation
before justice could be served. The companies should have done the
right thing when these serious medical concerns became known many
years ago."
The trial was the fourth "bellwether" in the multidistrict
litigation (MDL) consolidating more than 9,000 similar lawsuits
nationwide. Bellwether trials are set to establish evidence and
evaluate witness testimony that is representative of the issues
involved in mass litigation. Two previous trials involving
plaintiffs from California and
Texas resulted in verdicts of
$502 million and $1.04 billion.
The case, presided over by U.S. District Court Judge
Ed Kinkeade of the Northern District
of Texas, is In re: DePuy
Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability
Litigation, No. 3:11-md-02244.
With offices in Houston,
New York and Los Angeles, The Lanier Law Firm is committed
to addressing client concerns with effective and innovative
solutions in courtrooms across the country. The firm is composed of
outstanding trial attorneys with decades of experience handling
cases involving pharmaceutical liability, asbestos exposure,
commercial litigation, product liability, maritime law, and sports
and entertainment law. Visit http://www.lanierlawfirm.com.
Contact:
J.D.
Cargill
The Lanier Law Firm
713-659-5200
or jdc@lanierlawfirm.com
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SOURCE The Lanier Law Firm