Montana became the first state to ban TikTok this month. You no doubt have seen the press and have read the spirited discussion condemning foreign spies on the one hand and championing First Amendment rights on the other. Litigation has already commenced. But, while all that was developing, you may have overlooked that Montana
Today’s case is Thelen v. Somatics, LLC, 2023 WL 3338221 (M.D. Fla. May 5, 2023). It is a straightforward products liability case involving a medical device used in electro-convulsive therapy. Plaintiff alleges the device caused a permanent neurological injury, memory loss, and brain damage and that the manufacturer is liable for failure to warn
We’ve written several posts about ridiculous absolute liability theories seeking to hold drug manufacturers liable simply for making an FDA approved prescription drug. Wilkins v. Genzyme Corp., 2022 WL 4237528 (D. Mass. Sept. 14, 2022), is an even stranger claim, with the plaintiff seeking to hold the defendant liable for not manufacturing a prescription drug. Fortunately, in Wilkins, those claims (several theories alleging essentially the same thing) did not state a claim.
Continue Reading No Liability for Not Manufacturing a Product
Earlier this week, we spoke of the impending birth of our soon-to-be standard poodle puppy. We are delighted to report that the puppies are being born as we type this! Eight are expected (e-mail us and we will send you a cool x-ray that shows all eight in utero – count the spines and
Today is sort of a twofer Tuesday. We have two cases, but only one issue. So, maybe it’s more of a two-for-one deal. There is also one general takeaway – it pays to look at state-specific defenses to state-specific claims. For example, the privity requirements in North Carolina make it extremely difficult to bring a
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
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
“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
For the first time in two years, we write from the confines of our office in downtown Philadelphia. While we loved the full-time “work from home” regime, we have fondly re-embraced the near-forgotten view from our 30th-floor window, along with our Dancing Barney doll, our RBG action figure, and our solar-powered effigy of
Coming off Super Bowl weekend, we have commercials on the brain. The big game has given us some of the most iconic ads and mascots of all time. From Budweiser alone we have the Frogs, Wassup!, and the Clydesdales. This year’s ads were full of celebrities, but that’s nothing new. McDonald’s had the Showdown with