Sulzer Defective Hip & Knee Implant Lawsuits

Result: $1 billion settlement
Year: 2002

In re Hip Replacement Cases; In re Sulzer Hip Prosthesis and Knee Prosthesis Liability Litigation

In December 2000, Sulzer Orthopedics, Inc., announced the recall of approximately 30,000 units of its Inter-Op Acetabular Shell Hip Implant, followed in May 2001 with a notification of failures of its Natural Knee II Tibial Baseplate Knee Implant. In coordinated litigation in California state court, In re Hip Replacement Cases, JCCP 4165, Lieff Cabraser served as Court-appointed Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and Co-Lead Counsel.

In the federal litigation, In re Sulzer Hip Prosthesis and Knee Prosthesis Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1410, Lieff Cabraser played a significant role in negotiating a revised global settlement of the litigation valued at more than $1 billion. The revised settlement, approved by the Court in May 2002, provided patients with defective implants almost twice the cash payment as under an initial settlement. On behalf of our clients, Lieff Cabraser objected to the initial settlement.

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