Due to the failing of many DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System hip implants, more and more people are facing second hip surgeries and dangers such as infection, nerve damage, blood clots, and dislocation. DePuy issued a recall in August after hundreds of complaints arose. Now, many individuals are filing lawsuits due to their pain and suffering. The wide variety of cases within U.S. courts has prompted a convening of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to decide whether cases should be consolidated into one federal court.
On Thursday, November 18 a U.S. Judicial Panel will be held to determine if hip recall cases in different federal districts should be transferred to a federal judge. The panel consists of seven federal district judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States. If they determine cases have “common questions of fact,” the panel will also decide which federal district and judge will handle all cases and conduct proceedings.
As a hip replacement lawyer, I will be interested to see the results of the panel and if they decide to transfer cases to one judge. This decision will affect the many people who are already undergoing litigation for the DePuy hip recall.
The panel will be held at Duke Law School at 9:30am. For more information, see the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Legislation’s website, or contact the Events Office with any questions: events@law.duke.edu.
