DePuy ASR Hip MDL Court Retains Jurisdiction Over Attorney’s Fee Dispute

CLEVELAND — The Ohio federal judge overseeing the federal DePuy ASR hip implant docket says the court has jurisdiction over an attorney’s fee dispute on the basis that it is related to the multidistrict litigation and master settlement agreement.

In a Dec. 19 order, Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio further held that the MDL court has personal jurisdiction over the plaintiffs’ former attorney because he “availed himself of the MDL efficiencies for the benefit of his clients.”

William Drake, a Minnesota resident, received DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System implants …