Biomet has become the latest medical device maker to try and settle claims related to its dangerous all-metal hip implants. The company announced this past week that it would agree to pay $56 million to settle a series of lawsuits relating to the harm caused by its defective devices.
Biomet Hip Settlement Information
The settlement revolves around Biomet’s hip implant device known as the M2a Magnum. Hundreds of people across the country claim that the metal-on-metal implants caused them serious harm, often leading to painful and expensive revision surgeries. The agreement requires Biomet to set aside $50 million into an escrow account to pay the claims of injured plaintiffs. The deal says that Biomet will award patients who received the Magnum hip implants a base amount of $200,000.
Biomet Refuses To Accept Responsibility
As part of the settlement agreement, Biomet has refused to accept responsibility for the injuries that resulted from its hip implants. Instead, the company says that any damages were not due to its implants.
Johnson & Johnson Settles Another Lawsuit
Though the overall number is nowhere near the $2.5 billion Johnson & Johnson is preparing to pay to settle the nearly 8,000 claims its facing regarding the DePuy ASR all-metal hip implant, the size per plaintiff is comparable. In the J&J settlement, the company announced that it would set aside around $250,000 for each injured plaintiff.
The deals are seen as important steps by both companies to attempt to put the costly debacle behind them. The two medical device companies were on the receiving end of thousands of lawsuits from patients across the country. The trouble began when J&J and others first developed new artificial hip implant devices made entirely of metal that they believed would stand up to wear and tear better than those made of plastic or ceramic.
The trouble was that these new devices quickly showed a much higher failure rate than previous generations did and that thousands of patients were harmed by the accumulation of metal shavings in their blood and internal organs. The lawsuits say that the metal shavings lead to things like rashes, hearing and vision loss, depression and even organ damage. Many of the all-metal hip implants have since been recalled, hopefully sparing future patients similar harm.
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If you or someone you know have been injured by a defective medical device and you would like to discuss your case with an attorney, please contact our product liability attorneys today to schedule a free case evaluation.
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Related Blog Posts:
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