Smith & Nephew Not Required to Produce Insurance Communications in Hip Case, Conn. Judge Rules

HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut federal magistrate judge has denied a plaintiff’s request for insurance claims and communications from Smith & Nephew Inc. in a hip replacement action, ruling that it is not relevant because it does not bear on proving that the devices at issue were defective.

In a March 19 order, Magistrate Judge Sarah Merriam of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut also denied the plaintiff’s request for information related to any instance where the devices at issue failed or produced an unintended result. The request should be limited to instances where the devices failed …