Tennessee Hip Replacement Patient Files Suit Against DePuy For Alleged Debilitating Injuries

Lawsuit Charges Pinnacle Metal on Metal Hip Implant Manufactured by DePuy is Defective

Kathryn E. Barnett of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, announced that Paul McCurley of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, Inc., for the injuries he suffered after his DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal hip implant failed.

“In one study, hip replacement patients who have undergone a revision surgery were almost four times more likely to suffer from hip dislocation than those who have not.”


The lawsuit charges that DePuy knew that the Pinnacle metal on metal hip generated unusual and dangerous levels of metal debris accumulation in many patients and presented abnormally high risks of early failure. Despite notice of these alleged problems and defects, DePuy continued to promote and sell the Pinnacle metal on metal hip, and has not recalled the product.

On January 17, 2006, McCurley underwent a right total hip replacement procedure using the Pinnacle metal on metal hip at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. The failure of the DePuy metal hip implant caused McCurley to suffer debilitating pain, metallosis (a painful, inflammatory reaction from the release of metallic debris into tissue and blood surrounding a metal implant), and inhibited his ability to walk.

“You just feel like you are a burden on everyone. You can’t drive or do anything,” McCurley stated. On September 7, 2011, McCurley underwent a new surgery to replace the failed Pinnacle metal on metal hip.

“Patients forced to undergo hip revision surgery to replace a defective hip implant face greater risk of future complications, including dislocating their hip, than patients who had only one hip replacement surgery,” stated Barnett. “In one study, hip replacement patients who have undergone a revision surgery were almost four times more likely to suffer from hip dislocation than those who have not.”

“DePuy and Johnson & Johnson must accept full responsibility for the lost wages and income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering incurred by those patients whose Pinnacle metal on metal hip implant failed,” added Barnett.

Legal Resources for DePuy Pinnacle Metal on Metal Hip Patients

Patients experiencing problems with a DePuy metal hip implant or have had to undergo revision surgery can learn more about their legal rights and read answers to frequently asked questions at http://www.DePuyMetalHipRecall.com. There is also a form on the website for patients to submit their claim for a free, prompt, and confidential review by Lieff Cabraser injury attorneys.

About Lieff Cabraser

A sixty-plus attorney law firm founded in 1972 with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Nashville, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is among the largest firms in the United States that only represent plaintiffs. Described by The American Lawyer as “one of the nation’s premier plaintiffs’ firms,” Lieff Cabraser enjoys a national reputation for professional integrity and the successful prosecution of our clients’ claims.

In the 2011 edition of its annual list of the top plaintiffs’ law firms, The National Law Journal again selected Lieff Cabraser. Lieff Cabraser is one of only two plaintiffs’ law firms in the United States to receive this honor for the last nine years. In November 2011, U.S. News and Best Lawyers recognized our firm as the nation’s "Law Firm of the Year" for 2011-2012 in the category of Mass Torts Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs.