Medtronic Sofamor Danek Inc. is a medical device company that operates as a subsidiary of Medtronic plc, a global healthcare technology leader. Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc. has its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, while its parent company, Medtronic plc, maintains operational headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and legal headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Sofamor Danek Group was acquired by Medtronic in a stock deal valued at approximately $3.7 billion, which closed in January 1999. Medtronic plc is a substantial entity, with approximately 95,343 employees as of December 2025, and reported annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 of $33.537 billion.
Medtronic Sofamor Danek specializes in developing and manufacturing surgical implants, instruments, and supplies primarily for spinal, neurological, and orthopedic procedures. Their product lines have included spinal fusion systems, cervical fusion implants, bone grafts, and neurostimulators. Specific products mentioned in historical context include the Interfix™ threaded fusion device, the CD HORIZON® SEXTANT™ Spinal System for spinal fusion, METRx™ MicroDiscectomy System for herniated discs, and the SPINAL MESH™ System. They also provide maintenance and repair services for proprietary medical equipment such as the Stealth Station surgical navigation system and O-Arm imaging system.
Based on the provided case data, Medtronic Sofamor Danek Inc. appears to be an operating company that defends against patent infringement suits. The company has 1 tracked case, in which it is listed as a defendant and zero as a plaintiff. This posture is consistent with an operating company being targeted in litigation rather than a non-practicing entity (NPE) asserting patents.
The company's sole tracked case is Moskowitz Family LLC v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek Inc. et al., filed in the Minnesota District Court on February 28, 2025. This case aligns with the company's profile as a defendant in patent litigation. Historically, Sofamor Danek Group faced more than 2,000 lawsuits related to spinal injury before its acquisition by Medtronic, which Medtronic stated it had researched and planned to defend.