Texas Judge Denies Defense Efforts to Derail First DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Trials

DALLAS — The federal judge who will preside over the trial of the first of eight bellwether cases involving the allegedly defective Pinnacle Hip Implant has rejected attempts by defendant DePuy Orthopaedics to have the bulk of the plaintiffs’ claims thrown out.

In a 23-page opinion issued July 18, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade allowed the two plaintiffs to proceed with claims ranging from design defect to medical monitoring and failure to warn, in addition to ruling that there exists sufficient evidence to keep DePuy’s parent companies and affiliates, the Johnson & Johnson companies, in the case.

Trial of the …