Lawsuit Over LINX Device Complications To Be Prepared for Trial in May 2028

LINX device complications occur when titanium wire breaks, allowing magnetic beads to migrate out of position, potentially damaging nearby organs.

A federal judge has cleared the way for a lawsuit over LINX device complications to go before a jury in two years, involving a woman’s claims that the recalled implant was defectively designed and that the manufacturer knew about the risks.

The original complaint was filed by Janet Wingett in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in February. The lawsuit named Torax Medical Inc. and Ethicon Inc. as the defendants, accusing the manufacturers of selling an allegedly defectively designed LINX device without adequate warnings and failing to fully remove the implants from the market after the recall was announced.

LINX Device Injury Risks

First released by Torax in 2017, the LINX Reflux Management System consisted of a small ring of magnetic beads connected by titanium wires. The devices were designed to be implanted around the lower esophageal sphincter to prevent stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus, as a treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

While originally marketed as safe for patients, reports began to emerge of LINX device complications where the magnetic beads had become disconnected from the titanium wires. As the reports continued to mount, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the LINX device problems were likely the result of a manufacturing defect that could lead to the damage of nearby organs, the need for revision surgery and other adverse health effects. 

Amid the growing number of adverse events, Torax ultimately announced a LINX device recall in May 2018.

However, Wingett is one of several individuals pursuing LINX device complication lawsuits, each raising similar claims that the implant can break inside the body, leading to serious injury risks. Wingett and other plaintiffs say that the manufacturer knew, or should have known, about the defects but failed to warn doctors or patients and failed to improve the design.

LINX Device Trial

In a pretrial scheduling order (PDF) released last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright instructed the parties to prepare the case for trial by May 12, 2028. She directed the parties to narrow disputed issues where possible, cooperate in good faith during discovery and keep the court informed of any developments that could affect the schedule as the litigation moves forward.

“The parties are expected to work cooperatively throughout this litigation to narrow the issues in dispute, to use reasonable, good faith and proportional efforts to preserve, request, identify and produce relevant information and resolve discovery disputes, and to keep the Court timely informed of developments in the case that could significantly affect the case management schedule.”

— U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright

The scheduling order sets a series of key deadlines the parties must meet in preparation for the trial, with fact discovery to be completed by July 14, 2027. Expert discovery is scheduled to be concluded by November 12, 2027, with all non-dispositive motions relating to expert discovery due by November 30 of that same year.

Judge Wright also indicated that the parties may be required to hold settlement negotiations before the trial to see if it can be resolved beforehand. If there is no resolution and the lawsuit goes before a jury as planned, the trial is expected to last only three days.

LINX Device Complications Lawsuits

Even though the LINX device was recalled in 2018, it was still for sale in some foreign markets until September 2025, raising questions as to how many additional patients will experience complications in the years to come.

Due to the seriousness of the reported problems, attorneys are reviewing LINX injury claims and pursuing compensation for those 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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