DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Verdict Stands, Next Bellwether Trial on the Horizon

In the second bellwether trial in the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant multi-district litigation centralized in the Northern District of Texas, U.S District Judge Ed Kinkeade indicated this week that the jury verdict handed down in March 2016 would stand, and disallowed Johnson & Johnson’s request for a new trial. Pursuant to Texas state laws capping damages awards, however, Judge Kinkeade reduced the amount of damages awarded by the jury to $151 million. The five plaintiffs whose cases were tried together in this bellwether trial, serving as test cases for thousands of similar lawsuits, alleged that Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip replacement system was defective and was prone to failure, metallosis, and often required revision surgery after only a few years. The next bellwether trial is scheduled for September 6, 2016.