Two verdict wins by Simmons Hanly Conroy appeared in the top 10 of the nation’s Top 100 Verdicts for 2016 list, compiled by VerdictSearch, an affiliate of The National Law Journal.
Both verdicts were against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in bellwether trials involving the faulty DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip replacement device.
A jury awarded $1.04 billion to six hip-replacement plaintiffs on Dec. 1, 2016, making the decision the fourth-largest verdict overall. After deliberating for less than one day, the jury agreed that J&J sidestepped standard regulatory review and misled doctors to believe that the design of the DePuy Pinnacle device was safe.
The second verdict to make the list also cracked the top ten, ranking at eight. On March 17, 2016, a jury awarded $502 million to five additional plaintiffs in the same multi-district litigation (MDL). The lawsuits asserted the market-leading DePuy implants were defective and caused metal debris to enter into patients’ bloodstreams, causing severe injuries and revision surgery in some cases.
“These judgements serve not only as a significant victory for the plaintiffs involved, but also as a testament to our dedication in holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their negligence,” said Jayne Conroy, a Shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy and co-counsel for the plaintiffs as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the DePuy Pinnacle MDL. “We are honored to be included on this list and will continue to work diligently to secure justice for all patients harmed by J&J’s defective hip implants.”
