The Dallas Morning News reports that a jury yesterday awarded Johnson & Johnson to pay $247 million, including $168 million in punitive damages, for allegedly failing to warn about defects in artificial hips.

As the article notes, this is the third time a Dallas jury has whacked the company for punitive damages in hip implant litigation. Mark Lanier is the plaintiffs’ lawyer in all three cases.  The company says it plans to appeal.  Presumably, Lanier will again enlist Ken Starr to defend the punitive damages on appeal.