February 1997 AAOS Report
Court approves AcroMed settlement
Judge Louis Bechtle in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania has preliminarily approved the $100 million settlement
agreement by AcroMed and the Plaintiffs Legal Committee (PLC)
in the pedicle screw litigation. The AcroMed plaintiffs will be
included in a "class" for settlement purposes. The
PLC have placed Legal Notices in USA Today (Jan. 24 and 31 issues),
TV Guide and Parade magazine to notify people who had spine surgery
with a screw device manufactured by AcroMed that they may be able
to participate in the AcroMed settlement fund. A Spanish newspaper
in Puerto Rico also will carry the Legal Notice. No other manufacturer
has agreed to a settlement. Sofamor Danek Inc. filed motions opposing
the components of the AcroMed settlement. The AcroMed cases involve
about 40 percent of all the lawsuits against the Academy in the
multidistrict litigation.