Too much metal will hurt you

Product liability cases are probably among the most diverse types of personal injury cases; perhaps even the single most diverse. Nevertheless, it is easy to identify that our personal injury team has dealt with one specific kind of defective product above all others, that being hip implants.

Several defective models of hip implants were officially recalled over the recent years due to abnormally high revision rates just a couple years after the implantation. As it turns out these recalls are largely connected with metal – on – metal implants, which can pose a serious health hazard if the components wear down more rapidly than anticipated. As a result, many unfortunate patients find themselves with drastically elevated blood cobalt and chromium –two metals that are very often used in the construction of such implants – which is understandably not irrelevant to their state of health.

Our personal injury team is currently representing several clients that sustained injury due to such defective implants, with additional clients joining the group on a regular basis. The cases are not limited to just one single brand of hip implants, or even to one single manufacturer. The common ground in all of these cases seems to be the aforementioned rapid deterioration of the metal components, which leads to cobalt and/or chromium metallosis. Most of the patients also suffer from a pseudotumor around the implant which needs to be removed during the revision surgery. Another shared factor would be that the clients are recommended to revise just a couple years after the initial implantation, despite the fact that the implants were supposed to last even for decades.

All of the claims are being pursued separately and out of court, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive settlement agreement. Some of our clients already enjoy the benefits of such resolutions, however we cannot provide any details in regard to the terms and conditions of the agreements, as they are protected by confidentiality.