Mike McGlamry, a shareholder with Pope McGlamry, has been named one of three co-chairs for the American Association for Justice Wright Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Litigation Group. McGlamry is joined by Helen Zukin of the Los Angeles, California law firm Kiesel Boucher Larson, LLP; and George E. McLaughlin with the Law Offices of John Gehlhausen, P.C., Aurora. Colorado.
About the American Association for Justice
Founded in 1946, the American Association for Justice, or AAJ, is the world’s largest trial bar. Its mission is “to promote a fair and effective justice system—and to support the work of attorneys in their efforts to ensure that any person who is injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms, even when taking on the most powerful interests.” Part of AAJ’s services is the formation of litigation groups with the goal of sharing information between its members, often with a focus on a single product. The litigation groups are voluntary but help to level the playing field between victimized individuals battling the vast resources of a corporate defendant.
Wright Metal Hip Lawsuits
The Wright hip implant litigation stems from problems suffered by individuals who have had a hip replacement with either the Wright CONSERVE® Hip Implant System or the Wright PROFEMUR® Total Hip System. Resembling the recalled DePuy ASR Hip System, the Wright metal hip systems have resulted in the injuries and complications, including but not limited to the following:
- Implant failure
- Acetabular cup loosening
- Severe pain
- Swelling
- Bone and soft tissue damage
A recent symposium at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) concluded that there is no indication for the use of metal-on-metal total hip implants and preeminent British medical journal The Lancet reported that metal-on-metal total hip implant systems should not be used. Still, the Wright metal-on-metal hip systems are still on the market.
All federal lawsuits filed against Wright Medical Technology and its parent company, Wright Medical Group, Inc., have been consolidated in a multi-district litigation (MDL) in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Attorneys at Pope McGlamry filed some of the very first cases alleging injuries from Wright hip replacement products and has already been selected to serve as co-lead counsel and co-liaison counsel in the MDL proceeding.
