On behalf of Weisman, Kennedy & Berris Co., L.P.A. posted in Products Liability on Friday, December 27, 2013.

Stryker hip implants are likely familiar to a number of our Ohio and other readers, given the attention we have paid to them in select prior posts (see, most recently, our December 12, 2013, entry).

For persons who are simply reading some of the Stryker-related news to be generally informed, the specifics can seem galling enough, given the high number of hip implant recipients who have experienced severe pain and injuries.

For persons who actually received the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implants, the saga and continuing developments relating to their defects, recall and ongoing product liability and personal injury litigation of course strike home in a very real way. Many of those persons experience ongoing and constant pain resulting from the metal fretting and corrosion that has brought about the early failure of many implants. A high number of them have needed revision surgery to remove the defective hip implants.

Litigation is proceeding along many fronts, in both state and federal courts. Many hundreds of lawsuits have been filed, with thousands more expected. As noted in one recent media article, the Stryker hip implant litigation “has already ballooned into one of the biggest mass tort cases in the country.”

Significant lawsuit-related developments are now occurring, commencing with the recent report that Stryker has settled lawsuits with four plaintiffs through mediation in New Jersey. One principal involved in the negotiations stated that the settlements were merely “a tip of the iceberg” of what is still to come, given the high number of cases queued up and waiting.

The monetary details of these initially settled cases are governed by a confidentiality agreement and will remain undisclosed.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Stryker Corp. settles four hip-implant suits,” Kibret Markos, Dec. 23, 2013