Extension Will Cover Those Who Have Undergone Revision Surgeries Since Last Settlement Was Reached In 2014
NEW YORK - Dec. 20, 2016 - PRLog -- Today, Stryker Orthopedics in conjunction with Weitz & Luxenberg and other law firms on a Settlement Oversight Committee announced the extension of a settlement program to compensate victims of recalled Stryker hip replacements. The program will now be open to individuals who underwent surgeries to remove the recalled implants since the last settlement date of November 3, 2014.
"This extension opens the door for many hundreds of people who suffered from these faulty devices to seek justice," said Ellen Relkin, Practice Group Co-Chair of Weitz & Luxenberg's Defective Drugs and Devices Department. "These victims will now be able to obtain meaningful compensation for the pain they endured from a product they thought would help them."
The settlement specifically refers to individuals who received Stryker's Rejuvenate and ABGII modular hip implants. These implants – referred to as modular hip stems – can cause adverse tissue reactions, metallosis, necrosis, osteolysis and the need for revision surgeries to remove the neck and stem of the implant. Stryker and its New Jersey-based subsidiary, Howmedica Osteonics, issued a recall of the hip implants in 2012 due to a high failure rate caused by metallic corrosion and debris of cobalt and chromium, causing tissue and muscle damage and leading to complex revision surgeries.
The current settlement program applies to the Multi-County Litigation in New Jersey and a Federal Multi-District Litigation in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota as well as individuals who have not yet filed suit.
Settlement values have a general base of $300,000, with higher compensation for individuals who suffered from associated complications requiring additional surgical or medical treatment. The settlement also compensates at a lower amount individuals who need revision surgery but are medically unable to safely withstand the risk of surgery.
"Following the initial settlement in 2014, we have streamlined the settlement program to provide payment as quickly as possible," added Relkin, who is also Chair of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee of the New Jersey litigation and a member of the Settlement Oversight Committee. "We look forward to continue working with victims of these faulty devices to help them receive the compensation they deserve in the timeliest manner possible."
Shortly after the recall of the implants was announced in 2012, Weitz & Luxenberg filed the first lawsuit against Stryker and Howmedica in New Jersey, acting as local counsel for the Florida firm of Searcy Denney. The case was later granted Multi-County consolidation status and Ms. Relkin was appointed by the Honorable Brian Martinotti as liaison counsel and Chair of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee.
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About Weitz & Luxenberg
Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is among the nation's leading and most readily recognized personal injury and consumer protection law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg's numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, products liability, consumer protection, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. You can contact the firm's Client Relations department at info@weitzlux.com.
More information: http://www.weitzlux.com/.
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Settlement Over Recalled Stryker Hip Stems Extended To Include Hundreds Of Additional Patients
December 20, 2016 at 10:51 AM EST
