In 2018, our blogpost on In re Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices & Liability Litigation, 903 F.3d 278 (3d Cir. 2018), was entitled “Money For Nothing? No Standing This Time in the Third Circuit.” There, it appeared that the Third Circuit had drawn an eminently reasonable bright line disallowing no-injury
over the counter
Consumer Fraud Case Against “Non-Drowsy” Cough Syrup Sleepwalks Past Preemption
Class Complaint Fails in OTC Drug MDL
When it comes to MDLs that concern a bunch of cases about a drug or device, they typically have a name like “In re [name of product(s)] Product Liability Litigation” or “In re [name of product(s) Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation.” In theory, the first group of MDLs involves, shockingly, product…
Drowsy Cold Medicine Consumer Fraud Case Sleepwalks Past Preemption
Long ago, a senior partner told us that clear writing flows from clear thinking. That might be so, but clear thinking and clear writing do not necessarily produce the correct result. For example, you’d have a tough time finding a legal opinion written more clearly than Calchi v. Topco Assocs., LLC, 2024 U.S. Dist.
Another Preemption Win Involving An Economic Loss Class Action And An OTC Drug
As regular blog readers know, we love a clean grant of a motion to dismiss on preemption grounds. They are relatively common, so it sometimes puzzles us that the plaintiffs’ bar keeps filing plainly preempted claims.
Perhaps some of these plainly preempted lawsuits get filed because the express preemption provision of the FDCA related to…
Pennsylvania Federal Court Holds Online Marketplace Has No Duty to Inspect Goods
Although today’s decision involves a medical product, it focuses on an online marketplace rather than a drug or device manufacturer. And by online marketplace we mean the delivery service that has become ubiquitous in almost all of our lives—Amazon. The decision is significant because it finds Amazon, as a shipper rather than a seller, does not have an independent duty to investigate risks of the products it ships.Continue Reading Pennsylvania Federal Court Holds Online Marketplace Has No Duty to Inspect Goods
Questionable California Cough Medicine Consumer Class Lingers
We have seen a number of consumer fraud class action cases brought over a range of fairly ticky tacky issues about OTC drugs and consumer products. California law and courts have been fairly favorable to these cases, which follow a pattern of a test plaintiff seeking to represent some large class because (s)he claims to…
Tracks of My Tears – Narrowing of Economic Loss Class Claims in Kentucky
Released in 1965 by the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” is ranked by Rolling Stone as the “Greatest Motown Song of All Time.” Smokey Robinson’s lead vocals are pure silk, the harmonies ooze soul, and the guitar licks and strings tie it all together. The song and the Miracles helped spread Motown around the globe. Today’s decision about an artificial tears product won’t stack up against Smokey and the Miracles, but it hits a few chords worth sharing.Continue Reading Tracks of My Tears – Narrowing of Economic Loss Class Claims in Kentucky
Tale Of An Economic Loss Class Action
Lately we have been thinking that perhaps nothing stirs a plaintiffs’ lawyer more than a product liability mass tort except an economic loss class action.
Why? Money, for one. Control, for another.
We regularly complain that plaintiffs’ lawyers save money by doing little-to-nothing to investigate their clients’ personal injury claims in product liability MDLs. …
Guest Post – Another Potentially Bubbly Battle Over Hydrogen Peroxide Fizzles Out
Today’s guest post is by Amy McVeigh and Jessica Farmer, who are partners at Holland & Knight. They comment on the demise of another purported class action against a manufacturer of hydrogen peroxide, which is an FDA-regulated over-the-counter (“OTC”) drug. As always our guest posters deserve 100% of the credit (and any blame)…