Most consumers know Johnson & Johnson for their baby-friendly bath soaps, but they’re also one of the largest makers of health care products in the world, including artificial hips.
Over 10,000 hip surgery cases later, the company is settling for $1 billion to cover the cost of 6,000 defective Pinnacle hip implants, made entirely out of metal. In addition, there are 4,500 suits still pending related to artificial hips made partially from metal.
Patients who had these defective medical devices implanted were still in pain after their surgeries. Others couldn’t even walk.
Negotiations are continuing for the Pinnacle implants, according to the spokeswoman of J&J, Mindy Tinsely. J&J won its first case and lost the next 2 with U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade presiding.
And that’s just in Texas.
Similar cases are taking place in India.
Oklahoma has also filed a suit claiming J&J baby powder caused cancer in a number of cases within the state.
When exactly all of these suits will be paid is unclear, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
2019 wasn’t the first year J&J has run into lawsuits.
In 2010, 93,000 implants worldwide were recalled from J&J’s ASR line, 12 percent of which failed in a period of just 5 years.
In 2013, after new regulations were made by the U.S. FDA, J&J also recalled Pinnacle’s metal-on-metal version of the hip.
To learn how our Tennessee defective medical device lawyers at Gilreath & Associates can help if you’ve experienced medical device failure, contact our law offices in Knoxville, Memphis or Nashville today to schedule your free consultation.