Few medical treatments suffer from an image problem as bad as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). We remember when it was called electro shock therapy. We also remember its gruesome depiction in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But modern medicine has redeemed ECT. It can be a genuinely effective treatment for maladies such as depression
Fraud via omission of facts is a popular plaintiff lawsuit theory, but many of those lawsuits themselves suffer from the omission of plausibility and specificity. In Womack v. Evol Nutrition Assocs., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145754 (N.D.N.Y. Aug. 16, 2022), the plaintiff filed a purported class action alleging that a manufacturer of energy drinks failed
In these dog days of summer, few things bring as much joy and relief as ice cream. What does ice cream have to do with drugs or medical devices? Not much, we suppose. Sure, ice cream can affect the brain and the body. Our neurons vibrate with pleasure as they travel along a rocky road
It is beach weather, but which beach? The Jersey shore is close, has fun boardwalks and rides, and offers the comfort of the familiar. Then again, you must pay to get on sand covered with New Yorkers. The Outer Banks are lovely, with dunes, wild horses along the surf, splendid lighthouses, and the spot where
Under Fed. R. Evid. 9(b), “[i]n alleging fraud or mistake, a party must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake.” In our sphere, federal courts are quite variable in how they apply this standard when deciding 12(b)(6) motions. In particular, MDLs seem to have an unfortunate habit of allowing general allegations to support
We write today from a room in a rehabilitation facility, where we just shared the Drug and Device Law Dowager Countess’s lunch. The Countess, nearly 88, plunged down a flight of eight concrete stairs 12 days ago and managed to emerge with three broken ribs (one in two places) and no other injuries. A painful
Happy Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you.
If all FDA approved medicines enjoyed the preemption protection that vaccines do, the DDL product liability litigation landscape would be leaner and less nonsensical. Flores v. Merck & Co., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46442 (D. Nev. March 16, 2022), shows why that is so.
Bostic v. Ethicon, Inc., 2022 WL 952129 (E.D. Pa. March 29, 2022), is a Pennsylvania mesh case raising a host of familiar issues in a motion to dismiss context. The complaint is of the typically overpleaded (14-count) variety. Dickens was not really paid by the word, but plaintiff lawyers seem to think they might
“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. We may not always agree with that (for instance, this blogger is Washington Football Fan – enough said). But when
It’s time for the Mesh Case of the Week. In Dupere v. Ethicon, Inc., 2022 WL 523604 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 22, 2022), the plaintiff filed a lawsuit claiming injuries from pelvic mesh that had been implanted in her to treat stress urinary incontinence. The court ended up dismissing many of the causes of action. That