They sued after their medical devices failed. But billionaire bankruptcy moves could mean they get nothing

A Guardian investigation found that legal claims against private-equity backed healthcare companies are increasingly being delayed or obstructed in bankruptcy court

Gene Davis was in his 50s when he could no longer ignore the pain in his knee. He worked two jobs he loved in Stamford, Connecticut - he and his brothers were all firefighters, and they also ran a real estate business together. It meant a lot of walking up stairs. Finally, in July 2019, Davis got his knee replaced with an implant. At first, he was recovering fine. Then, the pain got worse.

An X-ray revealed that bits of the implant had begun to splinter into his leg. He assumed it was bad luck. After a second surgery to get a new version of the same device, manufactured by a Florida-based company called Exactech, things just got worse. Here we go again," he thought, I'm haemorrhaging a lot of blood ... and I'm wondering why." Eventually, Davis, who had always been conscientious about his health and, at 60, still fit into his Marine uniform, had to leave his job at the fire department.