We’ve bashed the horrible decision in Bausch v. Stryker Corp., 630 F.3d 546 (7th Cir. 2010), more times than we care to count.  This time we’re taking a look precedent contrary to Bausch’s statement that “[t]here are no special pleading requirements for product liability claims.”  Id. at 558.  While that is true as a platitude, the fact of the matter is that TwIqbal does not recognize legal conclusions such as “X violated the FDCA” unless they are supported by facts that plausibly establish the purported violation.  Plaintiffs “cannot simply incant the magic words [defendant] violated FDA regulations in order to avoid preemption.”  Caplinger v. Medtronic, Inc., 921 F. Supp.2d 1206, 1224 (W.D. Okla. 2013), aff’d, 784 F.3d 1335 (10th Cir. 2015)

Thus, in the specific context of allegations of “parallel” claims that seek to evade preemption, most courts have recognized that “[p]arallel claims must be specifically stated in the initial pleadings.”  Wolicki-Gables v. Arrow International, Inc., 634 F.3d 1296, 1301 (11th Cir. 2011).Continue Reading Preemption, Plausibility, and Parallel Claims