Jury Award Patient $4.5 Million In Metal Hip Implant Trial

A California jury has ordered Wright Medical Technology Inc. to pay $4.5 million to a metal hip implant patient and his wife after finding that his plant was defective and caused him harm.

According to Law360.com, this is the first trial among 1,200 cases claiming that Wright’s metal hips are faulty.

Jurors in this case agreed with Alan Warner’s allegation that the hip implant he received contained a manufacturing defect and that the implant’s failure affected both Warner and wife.

The jury awarded Warner $4 million for his past and future pain and mental suffering and his wife, $500,000, for losses she has suffered as a result of his defective hip implant.

Implant Failure

According to Warner’s lawsuit filed in December 2011, his implant suddenly failed on October 27, 2010 when he went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

He suffered extreme pain, which forced him to undergo extensive surgery to fix it. The suit stated that the laser guidance marks etched too deeply on the implant weakened it and caused it to fail.

Warner’s implant actually broke in the stem of the implant while others claim theirs broke in the neck or leaked chromium and cobalt into the bloodstream and hip capsule.

Warner’s implant was supposed to last 15 to 20 years, but filed after only three years, which we commonly hear about with metal-on-metal implants.

Product Liability Issues

Metal hip implants have resulted in painful consequences for tens of thousands nationwide and many more globally.

The defective design of these products case them to fail earlier and result in side effects including severe joint pain, implant loosening, death of tissue around the implant (tissue necrosis), deterioration of the bone around the implant, formation of cysts and bone degeneration.

If the metal ions spread from the surrounding tissues into the blood, the blood ion levels become too elevated, a host of other complications such as severe headaches, cognitive issues and nervous system problems.

In such cases injured victims can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, pain and suffering and in some cases, loss of consortium.

An experienced product defect attorney who has successfully handled defective hip implant cases will be able to guide victims and their families in the right direction and help them receive fair and full compensation for their significant losses.