Search results for: PREP Act

The PREP Act is having a moment.  Congress enacted the Public Readiness & Emergency Preparedness Act (“PREP Act”) in 2005 to ensure the availability of effective countermeasures in the event of public health emergencies.  The declaration of COVID-19 as an “emergency” has thus thrust the PREP Act into the limelight.  Heck, when you’re a federal…

Law school exams are usually exercises in issue spotting. Buried within the fact scenarios are various legal issues. The student earns points by identifying those issues and discussing how they should be resolved.  Sequence also matters.  It makes sense to walk through threshold issues, such as jurisdiction, first. 

Goins v. Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, Inc.…

This post is from the non-Reed Smith side of the blog.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires that a complaint contain “a short and plain statement of the claim, showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.”  TwIqbal requires a complaint contain sufficient facts to make the claim for relief “plausible on its face.” …

The world order has been restored.  The clouds have parted, and all today is in perfect resonant harmony.  Ok, we are exaggerating.  A lot.  But we are pleased to report that at least one federal district court has correctly interpreted and applied the PREP Act.  We are sure you are as relieved as we are. …

We scratched our heads last year when the Third Circuit misconstrued the federal PREP Act to allow a state-law negligence claim arising from an alleged COVID-related death, in direct contravention of the Act’s express preemption.  See Maglioli v. Alliance HC Holdings LLC, 16 F. 4th 393 (3d Cir. 2021).  The other shoe dropped the…

Now that a childhood COVID-19 vaccine has received FDA approval, the vaccination of school-aged minors is underway.  Just as vaccination requirements for adults have prompted a wave of litigation, we expect the same with respect to COVID-19 vaccination as a prerequisite to attending primary schools.  But with a twist.  Unlike adults who ignore mandatory…

Last week the Third Circuit became the first federal appellate court to decide the question of whether federal courts have jurisdiction over COVID-related tort litigation.  It concluded they did not.  Maglioli v. Alliance HC Holdings LLC, — F.4th –, 2021 WL 4890189 (3d. Cir. Oct. 20, 2021).  A decision directly at odds with…

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