There are some basic rules for medical product liability litigation, at least as we—and the vast majority of courts—see it. One is that the manufacturer of the medical product that the plaintiff used and allegedly injured her is typically the right defendant. Part of what a potential plaintiff is supposed to do during the statute
Learned Intermediary
No “Financial Bias” Exception to Learned Intermediary Rule in Florida—or Anywhere Else
The plaintiff in Salinero v. Johnson & Johnson, __ F.3d __, No. 20-10900, 2021 WL 1681237 (11th Cir. Apr. 29, 2021), tried a new twist to get around the learned intermediary rule—and it did not work. The district court rejected the plaintiff’s attempt to graft a “financial bias” exception onto Florida’s learned intermediary rule,…
Right on Warnings in Texas, Not So Much on the Rest
Sometimes a case has one bright shining point floating in a sea of not-so-good ones, or a stand-out result lost among outcomes that should have gone the other way. That describes Isaac v. C.R. Bard, Inc., No. A-19-CV-895, 2021 WL 1177882 (W.D. Tex. Mar. 29, 2021), a case remanded from the Bard IVC filter…
A Mixed R&R From The Abilify MDL
Outside of the law, if you hear “R&R,” you might think of “rest and relaxation” or the original military term “rest and recuperation.” For many of us, the last year has had plenty of rest, but maybe not much true relaxation or recuperation. As in-person trials are set and the world inches toward a “return…
Vermont Learned Intermediary Law Prediction And Quirky Application In Pelvic Mesh Remand Case
In addition to having Green Mountains, maple syrup, lake houses, an ice cream company run by summer camp buddies, a mitten wearing Senator, and a history of low COVID rates, Vermont has a history of being a legal outlier. Some of its positions might be considered progressive or regressive. The legislation discussed here is a…
S.D. W.Va. Denies Motions to Dismiss Morcellator Claims
When we head into a trial against a personal injury plaintiff, our client, the defendant, occupies the right side of the v. We mean that simply as a matter of word placement. It is Plaintiff v. Defendant, not the other way around (though on appeal the parties can be scrambled). By “right” side, we are…
S.D. Florida Dismisses Failure to Warn for Lack of Causation
Today’s case originated in the pelvic mesh MDL pending in the Southern District of West Virginia. Approximately one year ago, the matter was transferred to plaintiff’s home jurisdiction in Florida. Accompanying the case upon transfer was defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment on four of plaintiff’s claims. Plaintiff abandoned three of those claims (strict liability…
The Southern District of Mississippi Gets It Right in Mesh Summary Judgment Decision
It’s a good day in suburban Philadelphia. The sun is shining, the snow is melting, Covid-19 cases are down nationwide, and we just got a text from the Drug and Device Law Rock Climber heralding a weekend visit (with the Irascible Rescue Pomeranian in tow). We are enjoying a welcome (if cautious) flash of optimism. …
Eighth Circuit Affirms Refusal To Create A Contraceptive Exception To Nebraska’s Learned Intermediary Doctrine
Given the events of the last eleven months or so, we give ourselves and other legal commentators a preemptive pass for the following situation: you read a case, you think about how you would describe it, and you see that you have described similar cases in a similar way more than once. This could be…
Mixed Bag of Mesh Rulings
Unlike the Big Guy tonight, we here at the Drug and Device Law Blog do not distribute bags of toys. Throughout this annus horribilis, we’ve handed out plenty of veritable mixed bags. Langner v. Boston Sci. Corp., 2020 U.S. Dist. Lexis 222125 (D. Nebraska Oct. 1, 2020), is another such mixed bag. Langner…