The settlement resolves claims from 1,292 people who needed revision surgery when their Conserve, Lineage, or Dynasty hip implants failed after 150 days and within 8 years.
Those who received the Conserve Cup — the implant associated with the most failures — could get up to $170,000. Those who had the metal-liner Lineage or Dynasty implants could get up to $120,000,
Another 700 people whose implants did not need revision surgery would also be covered by the settlement, according to Law360.
The settlement would resolve 85% of the 2,300 pending claims involving Conserve, Lineage, and Dynasty hip implants. Wright will pay $180 million in cash and use insurance to cover the remaining $60 million.
In November 2015, the first “bellwether” trial over the Conserve hip implant ended in an $11 million loss for Wright. In April, the verdict was cut to just $2 million by a federal judge in Georgia. Wright is still trying to get it overturned due to a mistake the jury made on a form.
One reason why the judge slashed $9 million off the jury verdict was because he believed Wright was trying to help patients by marketing its metal-on-metal hip implants as more durable — ideal for younger, healthier patients.
It was only after many of those physically-active patients were permanently disabled that studies demonstrated higher rates of metal poisoning, systemic reactions, and other unique side effects from the all-metal design.
The plaintiff, Robyn Christiansen, was a ski instructor in Utah for 50 years before she received the Conserve in 2006. When it failed within six years, doctors thought they would be replacing loose components.
Instead, during the revision surgery they found evidence of necrosis, tissue damage, and metallosis (metal poisoning) due to metal debris generated by the metal-on-metal parts grinding together. Christiansen says she continues to suffer daily pain and can no longer run.
Source: MassDevice