Stryker Hip Lawsuits Consolidated

More than 40 Stryker hip implant and replacement lawsuits filed in 16 federal jurisdictions since July 2012 have now been consolidated into one multidistrict litigation (MDL). The news came on June 12 from the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, who issued the Transfer Order while noting that some 110 possibly related cases were still pending. The MDL will be transferred to the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, to be overseen by District Judge Donavan W. Frank.

Thousands of individuals are thought to be affected.

This is the latest move in a series of lawsuits alleging that Stryker and other manufacturers have developed and sold defective products, including hip implants with metal-on-metal parts which can corrode, thereby rendering the device ineffective and threatening the health of patients. Thousands of individuals are thought to be affected and this consolidation will go some way to helping improve efficiency in these closely related cases.

Earlier this year, the New Jersey Supreme Court transferred Stryker lawsuits filed within the state to Bergen County Superior Court, with over 100 cases now pending. In these often complicated cases, consolidation can help preven conflicting rulings, save resources and prevent duplicate discovery. The Stryker consolidation is MDL no. 2441 from the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, in re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation.