DePuy Hip Implant Settlement Program Reaches Required Percentage of Enrollees

Houston Law Firm Sullo & Sullo Says Reviewing and Processing of DePuy Hip Claims Will Go Forward

HOUSTON, TX, June 22, 2015—An update to the status of the DePuy ASR Hip Settlement Agreement was issued by the Claims Processor on June 16, 2015 as Alert No. 2015-3. The update concerns Article 17, the Walk Away Right Option. The original Settlement Agreement required that at least 94% of plaintiffs with eligible claims against DePuy enroll in the program. As of June 16^th, that number had been reached and exceeded, therefore the program can proceed. Claims will be reviewed in order to determine eligibility, and for those who meet the eligibility requirements, payments will be issued in accordance with the agreement. 

A recall for the DePuy ASR hip implant was issued in August, 2010, due to the high failure rates. It is estimated more than 100,000 ASR hip devices were implanted worldwide. More than 400 adverse event reports were received by the FDA prior to the recall. Due to metal shear of the ASR device, many patients suffered injury in the form of metallosis and metal toxicity. Over 8,000 of the more than 12,000 ASR lawsuits fall under the Settlement Agreement which covers patients who have undergone revision surgery following implantation of an ASR hip device.  

The timing of the payments for those who qualify for the Settlement Agreement as well as the exact amount of compensation is dependent on the specific facts and circumstances of each individual claim. When a claim has been thoroughly reviewed, the claimant will receive a Program Notice which will detail the exact status or outcome of the claim. If a particular claim is deemed incomplete, the claimant will be notified. Likewise, if a claim is deemed eligible or is denied, the claimant will also be notified. Appropriate next steps will be outlined in the Program Notice.