Three plaintiffs settled their lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ)/DePuy over health problems they say stemmed from the failure of the company's metal-on-metal hip implants. Each case involved DePuy's ASR XL Acetabular hip socket, and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System--a partial hip replacement. The settlements totaled $600,000, according to RD Legal Funding, which says it has been assisting plaintiffs with post-settlement lawsuit financing. But many more lawsuits remain--more than 8,000 against the company. Executives instituted a global recall of the ASR hip implants in 2010 after escalating safety concerns. Release