Schlichter Bogard Partner Kris Kraft Appointed Chair of the Plaintiffs’ Bellwether Committee in Exactech Multidistrict Litigation

Kris Kraft, a partner in Schlichter Bogard & Denton’s Pharmaceutical and Consumer Protection practice groups, has been appointed Chair of the Plaintiffs’ Bellwether Committee in multidistrict litigation alleging, among other things, that Exactech^®-manufactured total knee, ankle, and hip replacement systems fail following insertion into patients, requiring costly revision surgery, and result in additional pain and suffering. This appointment was made on December 14 by order of U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis.

In its Order, the District Court emphasized the various responsibilities delegated to the Bellwether Committee, including reviewing plaintiff data analytics including plaintiff profile information for bellwether selection; coordinating with individual plaintiff’s counsel in obtaining pertinent medical records in evaluation of claims; coordinating, supervising, and handling individual plaintiff bellwether discovery; and recommending representative cases for bellwether selection for trial tracks involving hips, knees, and ankles.

By way of background, on June 28, 2021, Exactech, Inc. issued a recall for nearly 90,000 of its Exactech Connexion GXL^® hip replacement implant acetabular liners utilized in surgery since 2008. The stated reason for recalling these Connexion GXL^® liners was the “risk of edge-loading and premature prosthesis wear.” In short, the recall was issued because of early failure of the Connexion GXL^® liner from wear and tear. On February 7, 2022, Exactech, Inc. additionally issued an “Urgent Medical Device Correction” pertaining to more than 145,000 knee arthroplasty polyethylene inserts and 1,561 ankle inserts due to their being packaged in vacuum bags that may have caused them to prematurely degrade, wear, and tear. As a result of these failures, patients have undergone corrective revision surgery.

Schlichter Bogard & Denton’s nationally recognized attorneys are currently reviewing potential Exactech^® lawsuits on behalf of individuals who underwent an Exactech^® knee, ankle, and/or hip replacement within the last ten years. To find out more and sign up for a confidential, no-obligation consultation, visit our pages devoted to hip replacement systems and/or knee & ankle replacement systems.

For additional information about Schlichter Bogard & Denton’s Consumer Protection Practice, please contact us at 1-866-592-2047 or via email at contact@uselaws.com.