Navan Ward, Jr., a shareholder in our Mass Torts Section has been selected to serve on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee (PSC) for multidistrict litigation (MDL) involving the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant. The litigation involves more than 500 cases consolidated under Judge James E. Kinkeade in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Pinnacle litigation involves allegations of serious adverse events associated with the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, a metal-on-metal hip implant. DePuy Orthopaedics is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Patients who received the Pinnacle implants report problems including loosening of the implant, fracture at the implant site, dislocation of the implant, as well as pain, swelling and trouble walking. Additionally, some of these cases allege illnesses possibly related to the release of tiny metal particles resulting from friction where the metal parts rub together. Consolidating the cases into a MDL allows the committee overseeing the process to put more pressure and focus on moving the case forward, moving cases more quickly to resolution. Lawyers will coordinate the litigation and work together on issues of science and discovery. Navan is also serving on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee for the DePuy ASR Hip Implant Recall multidistrict litigation, consolidated under District Court Judge David A. Katz in the Northern District of Ohio, which is a separate MDL regarding claims against the same Defendants for a similar defective hip device. Navan also serves as Co-Chair to the DePuy Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Litigation Group for the American Association for Justice.