Texas Federal Judge Halves $1 Billion Jury Verdict in Pinnacle Hip Implant Action

DALLAS –– A Texas federal judge has slashed nearly in half a $1 billion jury verdict rendered in favor of plaintiffs asserting Pinnacle Hip Implant claims against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, citing the state’s cap on punitive damages.

In a Jan. 3 final judgment, Judge Ed Kinkeade of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas upheld the jury’s compensatory damage award of $28 million total for the six plaintiffs, but reduced the awards of punitive damages from $168 million to $250,000 for each plaintiff.

“Although the jury awarded $84,000,000 in punitive damages from DePuy …