A Texas jury recently awarded a $1 billion verdict to six plaintiffs in a bellwether trial against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for its DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant devices. The verdict followed nearly two months in trial and less than a day of deliberation.
The jury awarded $1 billion in punitive damages and $40 million in compensatory damages. The award amount highlighted the evidence presented in trial that J&J misled patients and doctors about the safety of the devices, leading to thousands of patient injuries.
Simmons Hanly Conroy Shareholder Jayne Conroy served on the lead trial team, as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the DePuy Pinnacle multidistrict litigation.
“The evidence presented in testimony against J&J told the deeper story of how the science was manipulated in order to sell the product,” said Conroy.
The staggering result may be a significant indicator for a possible settlement for the remainder of the nearly 8,500 plaintiffs’ complaints.
“We are ready to go to court,” said Conroy in an article published by Medtech Insight. “I think this should be in the public eye, and I think what Johnson & Johnson did should be exposed. We’re pleased to have the trials.”
Read the firm’s official statements here.
Following the announcement last week, the verdict has made headlines nationwide. A list of articles is below.
Simmons Hanly Conroy helps secure $1 Billion Bellwether Trial Verdict over faulty DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement Device, Riverbender.com
Simmons Hanly Conroy helps secure $1 billion verdict, AdVantage News
Simmons Hanly Conroy Helps Secure Staggering $1 Billion Bellwether Trial Verdict Over Faulty DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement, New York City Biz List
Simmons Hanly Conroy helps secure $1 billion trial verdict in hip-replacement implant case, Illinois Business Journal
3rd J&J Hip Implant Bellwether Delivers $1B Verdict, Law360, By Jess Krochtengel
Johnson & Johnson Hit With $1 Billion Verdict in Hip Implant Case, The National Law Journal, By Amanda Brondstad
Johnson & Johnson Hit with $1 Billion Verdict in Hip Implant Case, The American Lawyer, By Amanda Bronstad
Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Win $1B+ in Third DePuy Pinnacle Trial, The Legal Examiner, By John Bair
Texas Jury Hits Johnson & Johnson With $1B+ Verdict, Texas Lawyer, By Amanda Bronstad
Johnson & Johnson hit with over $1 billion verdict on hip implants, Reuters, By Erica Teichert
J&J Ordered to Pay Record $1 Billion for Faulty Hip Implants, Bloomberg, By Jef Feeley and Tom Korosec
Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $1 billion settlement, CNN, By Emily Smith and Keith Allen
Patients Awarded $1b In J&J Ultamet Hip Lawsuit, Medtech Insight, By Elizabeth Orr
