NexGen MDL Judge Rejects Zimmer's Proposed Changes to Protective Order as Unnecessary

CHICAGO – U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer has rejected Zimmer Inc.'s proposal to add language to a supplemental protective order prohibiting all current consultants for its competitors from viewing certain discovery documents in the NexGen Knee MDL, saying such access is already sufficiently limited.

The judge's Jan. 6 order came in response to a request for additional limiting language for the court's Dec. 10 supplemental protective order, which addresses access to documents arising from intellectual property arbitrations and litigation between Zimmer and orthopedic surgeon and designer Dr. Norman Scott.

In seeking to limit access, Zimmer contended that allowing plaintiffs’ …