Hip Implant Expert Cleared to Testify Over DePuy’s Objection

A former DuPont scientist who invented components for hip replacements can serve as the plaintiffs’ expert witness in a suit against defendant DePuy Orthopaedics Inc.

DePuy had objected to Stephen Li’s role in the case because he’d previously consulted with its attorneys in earlier hip implant litigation.

But the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri denied the company’s motion to disqualify Li. It wasn’t objectively reasonable for DePuy to believe that it had a confidential relationship with Li, the court said. Moreover, DePuy hadn’t shown that it supplied Li with confidential information about the metal-on-metal implant involved ...