Developments in Wright Hip Implant MDL, Bellwether Trial Scheduled 

Wright Medical Technology, Inc. hip implant lawsuits—specifically regarding the Conserve line of metal-on-metal hip implants—are the subject of a new federal multi-district litigation, which is organizing many cases together in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. A January 9, 2015 motion was filed by one of the defendants, Wright Medical Group (Wright Medical Technology’s holding company), seeking summary judgment in one of the lawsuits, claiming that, as merely a holding company, it has no direct involvement with the development of the Conserve hip systems, which have been found to fail at alarming rates. The case involves a woman’s claim who is allegedly suffering complications from the Wright Conserve Thin Shell acetabular component and Conserve A-Class Total femoral head of the hip implant she received. Her claim is one of almost 400, all citing similar allegations of pain, device failure, and metallosis after the metal-on-metal hip implants in the Conserve line caused metallic particles to chip into the bloodstream. The first Wright Conserve hip lawsuit bellwether trial is scheduled for March 9, 2015, which may provide valuable insight as to future jury rulings in similar cases.