The three Nevada-based ASR hip replacement claims against DePuy Orthopedics, which were scheduled to be the first jury cases to be heard against the company, have been settled out of court.
Annelise Rundle (74), Martha Bender (69) and Katherine Guy (60) from Las Vegas in Nevada had all undergone DePuy ASR hip replacement surgery within the past six years, and all three had to have revision surgery when their DePuy hip implants failed.
Medical tests on Annelise Rundle determined she had also had health issues associated with the metal filings which had been displaced from the faulty hip replacement, while doctor´s testing Martha Bender discovered evidence of bone damage from the device.
The three DePuy ASR hip replacement claims are reported to have been settled by DePuy Orthopedics´ parent company Johnson and Johnson for approximately $200,000 each – lower than what might have been anticipated according to Professor Eric Gordon, a pharmaceutical industry expert from the University of Michigan.
Professor Gordon said “J&J should have expected to pay in the $200,000-to-$500,000 range per case” and the company will have been satisfied with the outcome of the settlement considering that there are more than 2,000 cases outstanding in the States of California, Maryland and Nevada, and 6,000 more consolidated into a Multi District Litigation which should commence in the spring of 2013.
Johnson and Johnson would not comment on whether they were intending to settle future ASR hip replacement claims prior to scheduled court hearings.