Dangerous Products

Dangerous Products
Practice Areas

White & Weddle, P.C.

Medical companies regularly manufacture products that have significant negative impacts on consumers’ health. From drugs to medical devices, companies are responsible for providing safe products that deliver the promised results to their customers. When a medical product causes harm, healthcare cases require adept lawyers to deal with medical manufacturers who are protective of their business and will fight to avoid their product being declared defective. We have litigated healthcare cases against such opponents as Merck, Smith & Nephew, Johnson & Johnson, DePuy, and Cardinal Health.

Our attorneys have a reputation for fighting back. Preparing every case for trial, we meticulously gather the information necessary to succeed no matter how powerful an opponent may be.


What Product Does Your Case Involve?

Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys handle cases throughout Oklahoma involving:

  • Defective consumer products
  • Defective industrial products
  • Defective drugs
  • Defective medical devices
  • Defective workplace equipment

Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants 

White & Weddle, P.C. (along with co-counsel) tried the third case ever against DePuy resulting in only the second plaintiff’s verdict, finding the ASR XL hip system defective. The jury awarded $2,500,000.00 to the Plaintiff. (Smith v. Depuy et al., CJ-2011-05804, DC Tulsa Co.)

Important notice to anyone who has had a Biomet M2a Magnum®, DePuy ASR, DePuy Pinnacle®, Stryker Rejuvenate®, and Zimmer Durom®. Metal-On-Metal hip implant: Litigation is ongoing and settlements have been reached related to claims associated with these metal-on-metal hip products. Contact White & Weddle, P.C. so that we can help you present your case and and find if you’re entitled to valuable compensation or a cash settlement.

Smith & Nephew Metal-On-Metal Hips

White & Weddle is actively taking cases involving Smith & Nephew’s Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) metal-on-metal hip implant.  The defective BHR hip system causes patients to suffer premature failure due to symptoms of metallosis, caused by the metal surfaces of the BHR system rubbing against each other and releasing thousands of harmful tiny particles of cobalt and chromium into the body.  White & Weddle acts as a member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee (“PSC”) in the mass tort litigation against Smith & Nephew, known as In re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2775

White & Weddle is also taking cases involving:  Use or implanting of the BHR cup in an “off label” fashion as part of a total hip arthroplasty or when it is implanted in combination with or without a metal liner and a metal head; and Smith & Nephew’s R3◊ Acetabular System or metal hip system (metal cup used with or without a metal liner) and metal head.  In most cases, the only medical solution for patients who experience a premature failure of their metal-on-metal hip implant is to undergo a revision surgery to remove the implant and replace it.  These revision surgeries are often more painful and invasive than the initial replacement surgery. 

Tell Us About Your Case


Defective Drugs

People purchase prescription and medication with a reasonable expectation that the drugs have been properly tested. However, pharmaceutical manufacturers often rush their products to market, placing consumers’ health in jeopardy. We are here to see them held accountable for irresponsible actions.

We handle cases involving drugs with life-changing side effects like Fentanyl pain patches, Vioxx, and Avandia. Our trial lawyers are prepared to put these drug manufacturers in front of a jury. We have an impressive record of success against big pharma opponents in cases with a jury.

Where there is one victim of a defective drug, there are typically others. We strategically employ multidistrict litigation and work with law firms across the country who handle cases involving the drug that harmed our client. In other cases, we may recommend starting or joining a class action – a group lawsuit against a pharmaceutical manufacturer.


Defective Medical Devices

When medical device manufacturers rush their products to market, there can be serious health consequences, particularly when a medical device is inserted into a patient’s body. Fixing these problems can require additional surgeries and sometimes leave irreparable damage. Our trial lawyers ensure companies are held accountable when they knew (or should have known) about potential dangers.

We have an impressive record of success against big-name opponents in front of a jury, and we’ve won major cases against manufacturers for complications caused by defective knee and hip devices. Joint replacements are constantly under scrutiny, and our attorneys handle cases involving all kinds, including defective hip replacements and knee replacements manufactured by Smith & Nephew, Johnson & Johnson, and DePuy.

Our goal is to find the best approach for your case. Sometimes this means teaming up with law firms across the country, and sometimes it means staying out of larger types of litigation.

DePuy’s Attune ® Knee System

DePuy Synthes markets the Attune Knee System as having "patented technologies" that improve range of motion and give patients "the confidence of a stable knee replacement."  However, in recent months, DePuy Synthes has filed dozens of reports with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documenting premature failures of the Attune Knee System that have resulted in the destabilization of patients' knee replacements and painful revision surgeries. 

Additionally, in an article recently published in the Journal of Knee Surgery, nine prominent orthopedic surgeons reported that they have encountered an unusually high-rate of premature failures of the Attune Knee System.  The surgeons attributed the failures to the debonding or loosing of the tibial implant-cement interface.  In other words, the surgeons discovered that the "glue" typically used to hold an implant in place does not "stick" adequately to the tibial component of the Attune Knee System. As a result, the tibial component of the Attune Knee System loosens and the entire knee replacement is destabilized.

For most patients, the new knee they received during knee replacement surgery should last for around 20 years. However, some find that isn’t true.

Thousands of patients have been implanted with the Attune Knee System.  Symptoms associated with premature failures of the Attune Knee System include:

  • Instability and Loosening
  • Unusual Swelling
  • Decreased Range of Motion
  • Persistent Pain

Behind the recent DePuy Attune knee recall, affecting approximately 3,500 units, is a host of safety concerns, the greatest being that a piece of metal coil may detach and lodge itself in the surgical site.  DePuy has found itself at the center of recall news in the past several years.  In a ten year period of time, from 2003 to 2013, the top six knee implant makers in the world recalled over 700 models of knee implant.  This has affected many thousands of patients.  Of those recalled implants, 38 percent of these recalls were of devices manufactured by DePuy.  DePuy is the second largest knee implant manufacturer in the world.

In most cases, the only medical solution for patients who experience a premature failure of their Attune Knee System is to undergo a revision surgery to remove the implant and replace it.  These revision surgeries are often more painful and invasive than the initial replacement surgery. 


Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries can leave victims with serious, long-term problems including headaches, memory loss, personality changes, nausea, and more. In cases of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), symptoms may be subtle and the victim doesn’t notice them, making it vital to seek immediate medical attention after a head injury.

What Caused the Brain Injury?

  • Motor vehicle accidents

  • Medical malpractice

  • Nursing home abuse and neglect

  • Defective products

  • Premises liability

  • Electrocution or shock

We’re willing to take your case to trial to ensure that brain damage victims are properly compensated for medical bills, lost wages, and all other expenses. We are ready to stand up for the rights of MTBI victims, family members of victims who have suffered severe traumatic brain injuries, and victims who have been left comatose, paralyzed, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. Our attorneys are prepared to seek compensation to cover a lifetime of care if necessary.

White & Weddle, P.C.