Litigation Over LINX Surgery Problems Underway in Lawsuit Against Acid Reflux Device Manufacturer

Discovery is moving forward in a lawsuit that alleges a LINX procedure was performed several months after the implants were recalled, yet neither the plaintiff nor his doctor were informed.

A federal judge has established the pretrial schedule for a LINX surgery lawsuit filed earlier this year, setting key litigation deadlines that will move the case toward a March 2028 trial.

Michael Lopez brought the LINX procedure lawsuit in the District of Minnesota on January 19, indicating he had to undergo additional surgery after the controversial acid reflux implant failed and had to be surgically removed.

Designed by Torax Medical, the LINX Reflux Management System was approved in 2017 for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and has since been acquired by Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon subsidiary. The implant consists of a small ring of magnetic beads connected by titanium wires, which is placed around the lower esophageal sphincter to help keep stomach acid from washing back into the esophagus.

While the implant was marketed as a safe alternative for patients who did not respond to proton pump inhibitors, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a LINX Reflux Management System recall in 2018, after noting that certain devices suffered from a manufacturing defect that could allow the wire to break and the beads to detach inside of a patient’s body, potentially migrating and damaging nearby organs or causing other serious health problems. This frequently leads to patients undergoing more LINX surgical procedures to have the failed implant removed.

Lopez is just one of several patients now pursuing LINX surgery lawsuits, each alleging the devices broke inside their bodies, leaving them with devastating injuries after the devices failed. The complaints claim the manufacturer knew or should have known about the design defects, indicating they either failed to test the device properly or failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks of breakage.

LINX Device Failure Lawsuit

According to Lopez’s complaint, he underwent the LINX procedure in December 2018. At that time, he was unaware the implant had been recalled several months earlier, and neither he nor his doctor were made aware the device had been removed from the market, indicating the manufacturers failed to provide proper recall notices.

The lawsuit presents claims of manufacturing defect, negligence and negligence per se, seeking compensatory damages.

In March, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright issued a pretrial scheduling order (PDF) in the case, announcing that she intends for the lawsuit to be trial-ready by March 22, 2028. The trial is expected to last three days.

The order includes details on protecting and preserving evidence and calls for fact discovery to be completed by June 24, 2027. All expert discovery, including depositions, will be completed by September 22, 2027. Dispositive motions are due by November 22, 2027.

While the order also indicates that the court may schedule settlement conferences to see if there is a way to resolve Lopez’s claims without need for a trial, no such conference has yet been ordered or set.

LINX Surgery Lawsuits

Following the LINX device recall in the U.S., the manufacturer also pulled LINX implants from certain foreign markets in September 2025, as concerns about the implants breaking continued to rise.

LINX surgery attorneys are currently reviewing additional LINX injury claims and pursuing compensation for patients who experienced complications, including:

• The need for revision surgery or removal of the device
• Device breakage or mechanical failure
• Migration of the implant
• Organ punctures or tissue damage

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