Jury hits Wright Medical with $11m verdict in Conserve hip implant bellwether

A federal jury in Georgia last week handed an $11 million loss to Wright Medical (NSDQ:WMGI) in the 1st bellwether trial in the multidistrict litigation filed over its Conserve metal-on-metal hip implant.

The Atlanta jury awarded plaintiff Robyn Christiansen $1 million in compensatory damages and another $10 million in punitive damages, Christiansen’s lawyers said. The jury found Nov. 24 that the Conserve device defective and that Wright failed to adequately warn patients about its risks.

The 2-week trial was the 1st of roughly 550 product liability lawsuits filed over the Conserve implant that have been consolidated before Judge William Duffey of the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia. The jury deliberated for 3 days, according to the lawyers.

Christiansen, a former ski instructor from Utah, alleged in 2013 that her Conserve implant came loose and caused tissue damage.

“We’re very pleased with the verdict,” attorney Michael McGlamry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re also especially pleased for Ms. Christiansen. She saw this not just as her case, but the 1st of all of the rest of the cases.”

“We disagree with the verdict, are considering all of our post-trial options and expect that we will appeal the decision if it is permitted to stand,” Julie Tracy, Wright Medical’s chief communications officer, told the newspaper.

Material from Reuters was used in this report.

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