Judge halves $1 billion award in J&J hip implants caseThe logo of healthcare company Johnson & Johnson is seen in front of an office building in Zug, Switzerland July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannA U.S. judge almost halved the award in a December jury verdict that ordered Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit to pay more than $1 billion to plaintiffs in six lawsuits who said they were injured by DePuy’s Pinnacle hip implants.U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in Dallas cited “constitutional considerations” that limit how much plaintiffs may recover in punitive damages but upheld the jury’s findings that the implants were defectively designed and that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks.Around $500 million of punitive damages would be cut from the more than $1 billion awarded to the plaintiffs who are California residents that were implanted with the hip devices and experienced tissue death, bone erosion and other injuries they attributed to design flaws.
Source: Judge halves $1 billion award in J&J hip implants case | Reuters
Earl's View 
The legal system has their heads firmly planted where the sun don’t shine let that judge feel the pain for one month he would double the reward unless he is receiving payments under the bench which wouldn’t surprise me one bit. The legal handling of all these claims does not pass the smell test it is plain and simple corruption at the highest level!