On February 8, 2012, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized the Wright Conserve hip litigation before U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
The Wright Conserve Hip Implant System is a metal-on-metal design, which consists of cast cobalt chromium molybdenum that provides the receptacle for the cobalt chromium molybdenum femoral head. The metal femoral head rotates within the metal monoblock Conserve Cup, which does not have a liner, resulting in the release of metal particles that can cause metal toxicity in the blood, soft tissue and bone. This can result in metallosis, tissue necrosis, pseudotumors and other problems.
Complaints filed by Plaintiffs across the United States allege that Wright Medical Technology manufactured a defective metal-on-metal hip implant and failed to warn patients about the potential risk that the device may fail within a few years of surgery. The Conserve acetabular cup has a tendency to loosen and fail as metal particles are shed into the body from the metal parts rubbing against each other.
Since the FDA approved the Wright metal-on-metal hip replacement system under their controversial 510(k) approval system more than 200 adverse event reports have been submitted by patients or physicians, which likely only represents a fraction of the total number of problems with Wright hip replacements.
Approximately 30 cases have been consolidated in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. On May 3, 2012, Judge Duffey, Jr. appointed Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick, Morrison & Norwood, P.C. as Plaintiff’s Co-Lead and Co-Liaison Counsel. Since that time, attorneys at Pope, McGlamry have put together a Wright MDL website to help provide information and guidance on the Wright Conserve MDL.
The website can be found at www.wrightmdl.com. The website is designed to help provide information and guidance on the Wright Conserve MDL in a centralized location. Users are able to navigate the website and easily access all of Judge Duffey’s Case Management and Pre-Trial Orders as well as any forms that have been approved by the Court. Currently, Judge Duffey has approved a Preliminary Disclosure form which can be found under the forms tab on the website. Judge Duffey is also reviewing a Plaintiff Fact Sheet, which will be available on the website as soon as it is approved.
The website also provides case updates and important calendar dates. Attorneys at Pope McGlamry will regularly update the website with news and notes from the Court as well as post Orders and Forms as they come available.
If you or a loved one have a Wright Conserve metal-on-metal hip implant, or any other metal-on-metal implant, and have suffered complications, or experienced a hip replacement failure requiring revision surgery, you may be entitled to recover significant damages from the defective product manufacturer. The lawyers at Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick, Morrison & Norwood, P.C., are actively handling claims for your injury and loss.
