DePuy Orthopaedics sued after hip replacement system is allegedly found defective

A man is suing a manufacturer after a hip replacement system was allegedly found to be defective.

William R. Ramsay and Denise Ramsay filed a lawsuit Oct. 22 in Cook County Circuit Court against Depuy Orthopaedics Inc. and Premier Orthopaedic Sales Inc., citing strict product liability, negligence, breach of warranty and loss of consortium.

According to the complaint, William Ramsay was implanted with a bilateral artificial hip replacement system known as the DePuy ASR. DePuy Orthopaedics designed, manufactured, marketed, sold and distributed the product and Premier has been the exclusive sales agent and distributor for the ASR in Illinois.

The complaint says the design of the ASR implant produces a large amount of metal on metal wear debris. Ramsay says that prior to Oct. 29, 2008, he sought medial treatment from Dr. John Rowe for degenerative joint disease of both hips. Ramsay underwent the hip replacement on Oct. 29, 2008.

The complaint states that on July 17, 2010, a Class 2 recall of many of the ASR components was posted on the FDA's website and on Aug. 26, DePuy issued a press release concerning the recall of various ASR components.

According to the complaint, Ramsay's implants have continued to deteriorate and it will be necessary for him to undergo bilateral hip revision surgery to replace the ASR hip components.

The Ramsays are seeking damages in excess of $50,000. They are being represented in the case by attorney Gary D. McCallister of Gary D. McCallister & Associates LLC.

Circuit Court of Cook County Case No. 2013L011668.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.