Exactech Lawsuit
Exactech, a Florida-based orthopedic device maker, recalled hundreds of thousands of knee, ankle, and hip replacement components beginning in 2021 after discovering a packaging defect: the vacuum-sealed bags holding its polyethylene inserts lacked a required oxygen barrier layer. Oxygen exposure degrades polyethylene — the plastic that functions as cartilage in a joint replacement — causing implants manufactured as far back as 2004 to wear out and fail years early. The recall covers devices including Optetrak and Truliant knee systems, Vantage ankle systems, and Connexion GXL hip liners.
Why Are Exactech Lawsuits Being Filed?
Patients allege their recalled implants failed prematurely — causing pain, instability, bone loss (osteolysis), and the need for revision surgery — and that Exactech knew or should have known about the defect for years. In 2025, Exactech paid $8 million to resolve federal False Claims Act allegations that it knowingly sold defective implants to government health programs. Exactech has denied liability in the injury litigation.
MDL 3044 and the Bankruptcy
Federal lawsuits are consolidated in MDL 3044 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York before Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, with roughly 1,840 cases pending. In October 2024 — shortly before the first bellwether trials — Exactech filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which froze the litigation. The bankruptcy plan was confirmed in late 2025, and injury claims are now channeled through the court-supervised process, with a litigation trust pursuing claims against Exactech’s former private equity owner. Compensation for injured patients will flow through this bankruptcy framework rather than conventional settlements, and timing remains uncertain.
Who May Qualify?
You may have a claim if you received a recalled Exactech knee, ankle, or hip implant and have undergone — or been told you need — revision surgery, or are experiencing pain, swelling, instability, or bone loss. Your surgical records identify the exact implant and serial number, and your surgeon can confirm whether your device is covered by the recall. Because claims now run through a bankruptcy process with its own deadlines, prompt review is especially important.
If you received a recall letter but have no symptoms, talk to your orthopedic surgeon about monitoring. Not every recalled implant requires revision, and that is a medical decision, not a legal one.