Defendants Awarded Summary Judgment in Calif. Federal DePuy Hip Case

SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge has awarded Medical Device Business Services summary judgment in a DePuy hip implant case because there is no evidence that the implanting surgeon relied on the company’s statements or warnings when selecting the device for the plaintiff.

In a Sept. 10 order, Judge Jeffrey S. White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California concluded that the claims are defeated by the learned intermediary doctrine.

Richard Canty alleges various injuries caused by a DePuy metal-on-metal hip implant he received on Feb. 4, 2009. Three years after the implant surgery, …