Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
As a Depuy ASR XL and ASR resurfacing hip recall attorney, I am trying to provide answers for my clients and potentials victims of the DePuy debacle.
If you are a victim of an ASR XL Acetabular System or an ASR Hip Resurfacing System, both of which were recalled by DePuy/Johnson & Johnson, you should expect financial compensation. In determining the amount of compensation you may be entitled to, you need to consider the following: the types of damages that available to people injured by defective products, and the recent results of a Sulzer hip implant lawsuit.
DePuy has promised, that it “…intends to cover reasonable and customary costs of treatment if you need services associated with the recall of ASR, including revision surgery if it is necessary.” DePuy names specific out-of-pocket expenses that it considers “reasonable,” including lost work time and travel expenses.
DePuy not provided any details on how, it intends to compensate you for the pain and suffering your DePuy hip replacement may have caused. To protect your legal rights, you should not call DePuy or sign any document the company provides without first speaking with a DePuy hip replacement attorney.
In a product liability case, a victim can recover economic damages (medical bills and lost wages) and non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering).
In 2000, Sulzer Orthopedics, Inc. recalled approximately 30,000 of its Inter-Op Acetabular Shell units. Because of a defective product, many recipients of this hip device required revision surgery, like with the DePuy hip recall. In 2002, Sulzer agreed to settle its class action and the company paid $1 billion to settle all the lawsuits. Those patients who required revision surgery were paid more than $200,000 each, and those who received faulty implants but did not undergo revision surgery received roughly $1,000 each. So time will tell regarding what DePuy will do and if history is going to be a guide.
We at this time do not know how the hundreds of DePuy ASR lawsuits will end up either through settlement or litigation. The fact is that taking legal action may be your only chance to recover financial compensation from DePuy. One thing is for certain, in mass tort cases, the companies usually settle, because it makes economic sense to do so and not because of any moral imperative or ethical considerations. It finally boils down to dollars and cents, like everything in life.
I have a client who is to undergo a double DePuy extraction next week, for cobaltism, metalosis and severe pain in both hips. She takes care of an elderly mother and her husband has chronic medical problems. She has been the main care giver to her family. Now with a double hip replacement, she will be the one who will require significant care and rehabilitation and she will need to make sure her family is taken cared of during her recovery, which could take as long as 6 months. The question she asks, will DePuy take care of her family diuring her rehabilitation? We have to wait and see.
Information and commentary provided by Dallas Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Dr Shezad Malik. The Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm can be contacted in Dallas toll free at 214-390-3189. If you or a loved one has been injured from a truck accident, car crash or bus accident, please fill out our contact card for a free consultation.