(Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson was found not liable by a Texas jury on Thursday in the first case to go to trial over whether Pinnacle hip implants made by the company’s DePuy Orthopedics unit were defective. The Dallas federal jury ruled unanimously against the plaintiff Kathleen Herlihy-Paoli, who said the two metal-on-metal Pinnacle hips she received were faulty. DePuy had said the implants were improperly positioned, and not to blame for her injuries. Jurors needed about two days to deliberate, following a seven-week trial. The case is the first among more than 6,600 federal lawsuits over the Pinnacle hips to go to trial. The unanimous win for DePuy is expected to affect its approach to the rest of the lawsuits, which have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.
