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Johnson & Johnson to Pay $502 Million over Hip Devices

A federal jury awarded five Texas patients $502 million dollars for injuries caused by defective hip replacement devices from Johnson & Johnson, including $142 million in compensatory damages and $360 million in punitive damages.

The verdict may affect similar lawsuits that have been filed by 7,000 patients. The plaintiffs alleged that the DePuy Orthopedic Ultamet metal-on-metal hip replacement spread metal debris into their bloodstreams. This caused major injuries in some patients, which necessitated additional surgeries.

To date, the device has not been recalled. The company announced several years ago that it would pay $2.5 billion dollars to settle lawsuits over a different line of failed metal-on-metal implants.

The jury found the devices defective, and that the company failed to warn physicians about the dangers. The company said it will appeal the decision.

The five cases are: Aoki v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:13-cv-01071-K; Christopher v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:14-cv-01994-K; Greer v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:12-cv-01672-K; Klusmann v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:11-cv-02800-K; and Peterson v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:11-cv-01941-K.