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Smith & Nephew Hip Implant Lawsuits Expand
Smith & Nephew Hip Implant Lawsuits Expand

R3 metal liners added to Birmingham Hip Resurfacing litigation

A panel of federal judges overseeing hundreds of lawsuits against Smith & Nephew for their failed metal on metal hip devices is expanding the scope of the litigation. The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict litigation held that plaintiffs implanted with the recalled R3 metal liner as part of their total hip replacement procedure will be transferred and consolidated into a multidistrict litigation involving more than 300 individually filed cases in Maryland federal court. The panel ruled that the R3 metal liner shares a regulatory history with the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, or BHR, which also has been recalled due to soaring failure rates. Plaintiffs who suffered injuries due to either the BHR or the R3 can now seek relief in federal court. Jones Ward is co-lead counsel of the federal proceeding, and represents more injured Smith & Nephew patients than any law firm in the country.

Dangers of R3 metal liners

Smith & Nephew recalled the R3 metal liners in 2012 after they were found to have higher than normal failure rates and were linked to metallosis and blood poisoning. Almost 4,000 of the R3 metal liners were implanted in the United States between 2009 and the recall.

BHR recall

Smith & Nephew recalled the BHR system in 2015 due to high failure rates in patients, particularly in women. The BHR can be used in at least two types of hip replacements. One type of surgery, called a hip resurfacing, involves just a metal cup and a matching femoral head or ball. A second type of operation is called a total hip replacement. During the procedure, a surgeon implants the same BHR cup into the patient, which is matched with a modular femoral head and a traditional hip stem. The system is just as prone to failure and complications as the BHR when used in a resurfacing procedure. The medical device team at Jones Ward PLC filed many of the first lawsuits against Smith & Nephew in the nation, and the firm represents injured patients in more than 30 states.

How to preserve your rights

If you do not contact a lawyer and file a lawsuit within a certain amount of time, you may lose your right to compensation due to the Statute of Limitation. This deadline is different in each state, and it varies depending on the claims you are making in the lawsuit. For a free evaluation, please contact our dedicated and experienced team of lawyers today. Jones Ward PLC accepts clients in all 50 states and has a no-fee promise, which means that we only get paid if you get a verdict or settlement. Call us toll free today at 888-595-2922 or contact us here.