A U.S. District Court judge in Ohio has scheduled the first bellwether trial for lawsuits filed against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., alleging defects in the metal-on-metal ASR hip replacement system. A bellwether trial is used for multiple lawsuits with common complaints. The Ohio trial is set for May 2013. Attorneys were ordered to submit four trial candidates to the judge. Since December 2010, more than 1,000 similar cases were filed and are included in this Multidistrict Litigation case.
A federal judge in Texas, meantime, has set a December 2013 trial date for the first bellwether Multidistrict Litigation case involving the DePuy Pinnacle hip implants, which were designed for younger patients. More than 1,800 complaints are involved in that case.
Further reading:
- HarrisMartin: Judge Schedules 1st DePuy ASR Bellwether Trial for May 2013 (subscription required)
- HarrisMartin: Parties to DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant MDL Disagree on Timing of Trials(subscription required)
