Sulzer Hip Implant – (2002) $1 billion
Written by Andrew Sarski on June 8, 2012
Medical device maker Sulzer Medica agreed to pay $1 billion in 2002 to settle a class action filed on behalf of patients who received defective hip implants manufactured by the company. The settlement paid out approximately $206,000 each to 3,500 individuals whose hip implants had to be replaced. The action stemmed from a recall Sulzer announced in 2000 after discovering that hip implant parts manufactured in the company’s plant in Texas had been contaminated by machinery oil.