In a notice filed this month, the plaintiffs involved in Zimmer NexGen knee implant litigation have agreed to participate in the settlement program, which will leave only a few cases unresolved.
The parties indicated at least 273 out of 279 plaintiffs are eligible to be part of the settlement. Hence, the parties have consummated the global deal. Last February, a global settlement was announced after an agreement was reached in principle to resolve Zimmer NexGen knee implant cases filed in state and federal courts. But, the agreement was dependent on the vast majority of plaintiffs favoring the settlement offer. Zimmer Biomet has been blamed in nearly 300 product liability lawsuits, involving allegations that certain components of the NexGen knee system were defectively designed and were prone to early failure. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer overlooks all Zimmer NexGen cases in the Northern District of Illinois since August 2011.
In April 2014, Zimmer and Biomet announced a collaboration to provide joint replacement, bone repair, and dental implant solutions. Zimmer Biomet started to offer solutions to the musculoskeletal healthcare industry in June 2015. The implants were intended to relieve pain, provide good quality of life to the patients. However, Zimmer lawsuits filed by several individuals claimed the metal-on-metal articulation used in the system resulted in Metallosis, because of the metal grounding on metal as it leads to toxic metal shards being released into the patient's surrounding tissues and bone.
