Johnson & Johnson Hip Patients Will Take "Bellwether" Lawsuits to Trial

Recipients of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) (JNJ) hip implants recalled by the company will start going to trial later this year to help determine liability and damages in more than 6,000 lawsuits, lawyers said today. J&J’s DePuy unit recalled its 93,000 ASR hips worldwide in 2010, including 37,000 in the U.S., saying more than 12 percent of the devices failed within five years. Lawsuits in federal and state courts describe patients in pain and immobilized by joint dislocations, infections and bone fractures.