The Rottenstein Law Group Notes with Interest the Great Number of DePuy Lawsuits Filed, Along with Reported Reimbursements

(New York, NY, November 15, 2011) The Rottenstein Law Group, which represents clients with claims stemming from the recall of defective hip replacement implants manufactured and sold by DePuy Orthopaedics, notes that the amount of lawsuits against DePuy now numbers in the thousands, and is growing every day.
In a memorandum of law filed last week by counsel for the plaintiffs’ executive and steering committees in the multidistrict litigation over DePuy’s ASR hip replacement devices – in Re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, no. 1:10-md-2197-the committees note that “[a]pproximately two thousand six hundred (2,600) cases are currently pending in this MDL and approximately 20 cases are filed daily.” (The memorandum supports a motion to create a “common benefit fund to compensate for fees and expenses for work performed for the benefit of all parties.”)
In August 2010, DePuy, a division of Johnson & Johnson, announced the global hip replacement recall of its two devices: the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, and the ASR XL Acetabular System. Each unit replaces a weakened or worn part of the hip. Many orthopedic physicians believe that the units were poorly designed; the metal-on-metal implants can generate debris  from wear, causing inflammation and tissue damage in patients who received them, as reported by the New York Times last year. 93,000 hip replacement patients worldwide had an ASR device implanted, according to information made available by DePuy itself.
DePuy issued the global recall after the National Joint Registry of England and Wales made public data showing that about 12 percent of patients who received the hip resurfacing system experienced failure after five years, and 13 percent who received the acetabular system experienced failure in the same time frame. The failed devices needed to be removed and replaced with corrective surgery.
An article published on November 12 at WA Today reported that “Johnson & Johnson has revealed it has ‘reimbursed’ $21 million in claims from more than 3500 patients fitted with DePuy implants.” It is uncertain, however, whether those 3,500 patients are in Australia, where WA Today is published. The article notes that “[o]fficial estimates show about 5570 DePuy implants have been placed in patients in Australia and so far more than 430 have had to be removed or replaced in what are difficult, costly and painful operations.”
Rochelle Rottenstein, principle of the Rottenstein Law Group, says, “We implore anyone with a friends or relative who has received a hip replacement device since 2003 to reach out to that person and recommend that he or she consult a physician immediately and then speak to a qualified personal injury lawyer. While most of those who have called RLG are from California, Illinois and Ohio, this is a nationwide problem, and we’re prepared to help victims all across the country.”
The Rottenstein Law Group lawyers have a total of more than 25 years of experience fighting for the rights of clients who have suffered harm due to the negligence of powerful corporations.  Affected individuals can also stay apprised of the latest developments in the DePuy situation by visiting the DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Lawsuit Information Center. The site is equipped with easy-to-use social media features which will enable users to spread the word about DePuy ASR hip replacement device failures.
About the Rottenstein Law Group
The Rottenstein Law Group is a New York-based law firm that represents clients in mass tort actions. The firm was founded by Rochelle Rottenstein, a lawyer with over two decades of experience in compassionate representation of clients in consumer product injury, mass tort, and class action law suits. For more information, please visit their Web site, or call (888) 9-ROT-LAW.

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