After more than seven years of hard fought litigation, a group of Smith & Nephew hip implant cases pending in Maryland federal court will be transferred to new judges in the coming weeks. The legal team at Alex Davis Law represents more of these plaintiffs than any other law firm in the country.
Judge Catherine Blake has presided over the S&N hip litigation since early 2017. At one point nearly 900 individual lawsuits were pending in her court in Baltimore. Many of those cases are now settled.
There are two types of Smith & Nephew hip cases. Both of them involve failed metal-on-metal hip devices. The first category is called the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, or BHR for short. Smith & Nephew recalled the BHR in June 2015 due to unacceptably high revision rates. The second category is called a Total Hip Arthroplasty, or THA for short. The THA device includes a BHR cup, paired with a metal femoral head and a traditional stem. The THA device was never approved by the FDA.
The lawyers at Alex Davis Law Office played a key role in the arguments and legal briefs and trial work for these cases. We have been involved from the very start, and we still represent injured Smith & Nephew patients all over the country including in California, New York, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere.
Court order will remand S&N cases to home states
Because these cases have been litigated thoroughly in Maryland, the remaining claims are now being transferred to their home jurisdictions in a process called remand. Once the remand process is finished, any new claims will need to be filed outside Maryland in order to move forward toward trial.
Injuries from metallosis and THA failure
Smith & Nephew’s metal-on-metal hip systems carrie a risk of premature failure after just a few years due to toxic cobalt and chromium particles shedding into the patient’s body over time. Additional risks include pseudotumor, tissue necrosis, kidney damage and neurological injuries from metallosis.
Free consultation for Smith & Nephew hip claims
Lawsuits involving complex legal issues and medical device regulations require an attorney with experience in these areas. If you or a loved one have a Smith & Nephew hip implant and have questions, call the attorneys at Alex Davis Law at 502-882-6000 for a free consultation.