A New Mexico judge has ordered Zimmer Inc. to pay more than $2 million to a man who suffered adverse health complications after being implanted with the company’s dual modular hip implant.
Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one suffered complications after hip surgery, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit and our lawyers can help.
What’s the Problem?
April 5, 2017 – Plaintiff Michael Brian McDonald experienced severe hip and groin pain and loss of flexibility less than a year after undergoing hip replacement surgery with Zimmer’s dual modular hip implant, the M/L Taper Hip Prosthesis with Kinectiv Technology (“MLTK”) and a cobalt-chromium head.
McDonald was forced to undergo 2 corrective surgeries during which the doctor implanted two new prostheses and replaced the cobalt-chromium head with a ceramic head.
In a 27-page decision, Judge Nan G. Nash ruled that the defective design and insufficient testing of the Zimmer hip likely caused permanent harm to the plaintiff, resulting in “metallosis,” a type of metal poisoning that can lead to adverse health complications including heart problems, cognitive difficulties, vision impairment and thyroid problems.
“It is never appropriate to design a hip implant system that would create an unreasonable risk of injury to the health or safety of a patient,” Nash said, ruling on behalf of McDonald on grounds of strict products liability.
Nash traced the product defect to Zimmer’s testing its hip components in isolation, but not their interactions together, which would have determined their potential harm.
Nan awarded a total of $2.027 million in damages; $1 million for past and future pain and suffering, $480,000 for lost enjoyment of life, and the rest for past and future medical expenses, lost household services, and out-of-pocket expenses.
Do I Have a Zimmer Hip Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in hip implant lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new hip complications cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you had problems after hip replacement surgery, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a lawsuit and we can help.