Lawsuit Over Recalled DePuy Hip Filed By Seven People in New York

A DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit has been filed in New York on behalf of seven residents who received the defective metal-on-metal hip implant that was recalled last year. 

The complaint was filed on Wednesday, March 2, by Holly Burrit, 52, Theresa Claybaugh, 50, Michael Cooper, 25, Glenda Mazza, 73, Ann McCracken, 55, Ronald Nigro, 66, and Jeanne Trembeth, 49. According to a report by the Penfield Post, all of the plaintiffs allege that they required additional hip revision surgery to remove and replace a DePuy ASR hip, which has been found to carry a high risk of failure within a few years after it is implanted.

The plaintiffs join hundreds of other people throughout the United States who have filed a DePuy hip lawsuit over the recalled implant.

All of the complaints stem from a hip replacement recall announced in August 2010 for the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System. The metal-on-metal hip implants were linked to an unacceptably high rate of problems, often resulting in revision surgery to remove the DePuy ASR hip.

More than 90,000 DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Systems and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Systems were sold before the hip replacements were recalled. The manufacturers have acknowledged that data so far has shown that about 12% to 13% of these hips will fail within five years. However, as individuals with one of the recalled hip replacements continue to be monitored by their doctors, it is expected that the rate of DePuy ASR hip replacement problems will ultimately be much higher.

According to allegations raised in the complaints, design defects with the DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip increase the risk of microscopic shavings of metal being released into the body as the metal parts rub against each other. This could cause individuals with the implant to suffer metal poisoning from high levels of cobalt and chromium, which can cause a loosening of the components.