Personal Injury Law

Advice for individuals with DePuy hip implants

As our readers are aware, DePuy Orthopedics issued a product recall for two of its metal-on-metal hip implant devices due to a device malfunction causing a high rate of revision surgeries and metal debris from the devices? components spreading throughout a patient?s body. Studies confirm that any individual who has received one of these hip replacements have a potential DePuy product liability claim against DePuy. In an effort to limit DePuy?s exposure and figure out how many potential product liability claims exist, DePuy has encouraged patients to sign consent forms, which provide DePuy the opportunity to obtain valuable information about that individual patient?s case before a product liability lawsuit is filed. In many situations, DePuy has actually sent form letters to the orthopedic physicians who have performed the surgeries in order for the doctors to send the letter to their patients.

The form letters sent to patients who received DePuy hip implants request patients to contact DePuy in order to obtain a claim number and consent form for patients to sign. In some particular instances, the treating surgeon has ?required? their patients to contact DePuy in order to get a claim number before the surgeon agrees to see their patient for a follow-up appointment. However, patients must be aware that if they sign this consent form and subsequently decide to purse a product liability lawsuit against DePuy, they may have negatively affected their claims. However, they can revoke their consent at any time by notifying in writing the person or organization that provided the consent form. DePuy is working with Broadspire to obtain consent forms, but these provide little in return and should be avoided.

See our related blog posts:

Important Information for DePuy Hip Implant Patients

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on November 10, 2010 (boomark / email).