Verdict: $247 Million Awarded to Six Plaintiffs for DePuy Pinnacle

Hip Replacement X-Ray – DePuy Pinnacle

November 15, 2017:  A jury awarded six plaintiffs a combined $247 million for their injuries due to defectively designed DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal hip implants.  The six plaintiffs had to undergo revision surgery to revise their metal on metal Ultamet liner Pinnacle devices, a device Johnson and Johnson and DePuy pulled off the market but never fully recalled.

This verdict is the third verdict in a row for groups of plaintiffs seeking damages against DePuy and Johnson and Johnson for selling the defective devices. Prior verdicts of $1 billion and $498 million in other cases of multiple plaintiffs can be seen on our blog.

The jury was presented with evidence of DePuy’s bad actions, including the fact that DePuy hid the risks of its devices, did not communicate the danger of its metal-on-metal design, failed to adequately test and monitor the devices for safety, and improper marketing. The $247 million verdict included both damages for injury to the six plaintiffs as well as additional punitive damages against the companies for their bad actions.