The medical implant company Stryker seems to have struck out with the ABG II and Rejuvenate hip implants. In a decision made on November 3, 2014, the Kalamazoo-based company will settle with thousands of patients who received one of the faulty hip implants and had revision surgery prior to November 3.
The implants are said to have caused corrosion, illness, pain and swelling, and metal debris in patients’ blood and were recalled in 2012.
Stryker had previously set aside $1.43 billion for settlement costs, only recently making the official decision to settle outside of court. The base award is $300,000 per patient, likely the largest settlement among similar cases, with no cap to the overall amount paid out. Total settlement amounts are predicted to be well over $1 billion.
Patients who experienced extensive complications related to device failure may be eligible for enhanced payments. These patients will be required to meet certain qualifications to be considered.
Patients who qualify for this Stryker settlement may begin registration in December 2014, with payments to be awarded as early as June 2015.
Levin Papantonio lawyer, Ben Gordon, is pleased with the speed of the decision process involving the Stryker settlement and the positivity it brings to the victims involved. “It is a good thing when a company recognizes their wrongs and justice is made available to those affected. I look forward to witnessing these victims receive the settlement that rightly belongs to them.”
Thousands of Stryker Hip Recall lawsuits across the United States regarding consolidated and reviewed by Federal Judge Donovan Frank in Minneapolis, Minnesota after months of court-ordered mediations.
