Johnson & Johnson Must Pay in First Hip-Implant Case

[alp227]

Source: NYT

A jury in Los Angeles on Friday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $8.3 million in damages in the first lawsuit to go to court against the company in connection with a now-recalled all-metal artificial hip implant.

But the 12-person panel declined to issue punitive damages against the company’s DePuy orthopedic division, saying it did not act with fraud or malice in its marketing of the device.

Johnson & Johnson faces some 10,000 lawsuits from patients who received the implant, which was known as the Articular Surface Replacement, or A.S.R.

The A.S.R., which the company recalled in mid-2010, has one of the highest early failure rates of any orthopedic device sold in recent years.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/business/johnson-johnson-must-pay-in-first-hip-implant-case.html

[AngryAmish]

1. The sound you just heard was the shout of joy from a thousand trial lawyers

[MannyGoldstein]

2. If J&J had followed proper design processes, those lawyers would be sad.

But J&J (dePuy) did not (from what I can tell). Now people have metal filings wandering around their bodies for life, effects yet unknown. And they need new hips.

[Myrina]

3. ... as opposed to the shouts of joy from gleeful J&J stockholders ...

... and executives, who would have been toasting a victory had the outcome gone their way.
They sure as hell aren't going to to right by the patients without this sort of judgment imposed on them.

[ret5hd]

4. Yeah! That's what I'm sayin'!

Those crippled people should go against those corporate lawyers all by themselves!

[daleo]

5. And thousands with painful conditions due to these products

I believe the corporation had trial lawyers too, unless the CEO decided to defend the case personally.

[Proletariatprincess]

6. I say bless the lawyers

Where would we be without lawyers to fight for us Little Guys? I think lawyers get a bad name. Corporate lawyers are another breed altogether, though...what they do is indefensable. But I know lawyers who have dedicated their lives to fight for justice and fairness. That don't make much money either. For every successful case they take, there are 10 pro bono cases to which they donate their time and efforts. Don't begrudge the good guys their just compensation.

[gregoryhbrown89]

7. Justice has been served

That is a good news, there are still a number of people who filed lawsuit against hip implant manufacturers. I hope they will also get the justice that they deserve.