DePuy ASR Verdict – Failed Medical Devices Win $8.3 M Jury Award

Failed Medical Devices in the News: In 2007, Mr. Loren Kransky had an ASR hip prosthetic manufactured by DePuy Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, implanted into his right hip.  He was told it was designed to last his lifetime, but it had to be removed four years later because design defects in the ASR caused destruction of bone and tissue around his hip joint.  Kransky’s case was pushed ahead of the other early cases because of suffering from terminal cancer.  Jury deliberations lasted for five days before the $8.3 million verdict was reached.

A major San Francisco law firm represented Mr. Kransky’s against the medical device’s maker. It is the first of more than 10,000 such cases to be tried related to metal-on-metal hip implants.

DePuy began selling the ASR XL overseas in 2003 and in the U.S. in early 2006. Using a controversial loophole, DePuy began selling these devices without having to first conduct clinical trials. The company claimed the ASR was safer and more durable than competing artificial hips, and charged a premium, selling more than 95,000 such devices worldwide, 35,000 of the total implanted in Americans. The devices were formally recalled in August 2010 after a British medical registry reported data showing the ASR failed at significantly higher rates than predicted. DePuy executives have continued to blame “surgical technique” for any poor outcomes.

The Cartwright Law Firm is currently representing dozens of victims who are saddled with these faulty medical implants. On-going studies have shown a direct correlation between these metal-on-metal implants and tissue damage due to metal ions from the cobalt and cadmium metal alloys used in the devices leaching into the surrounding tissues. It is critical for anyone who has had a metal-on-metal implant, regardless of the manufacturer or the specific model, to be tested for possible tissue damage due to these devices. The Cartwright Law Firm stands ready to assist all potential victims. Call us today for a free consultation,, and to learn about your rights in this matter.