Photo of Andrew Tauber

Federal law regulates medical devices differently from pharmaceuticals, and branded drugs differently from generic drugs. Whether a particular state-law tort claim is preempted often depends on whether the claim involves a medical device, a branded drug, or a generic drug. Often but not always. As today’s case illustrates, there is one implied-preemption principle that applies

Photo of Eric Alexander

As we age, we sometimes forget how things used to be.  It is not just age-related deterioration of the synapses in our hippocampi.  (We do question why hippocampi and hippopotamuses are the preferred plural forms these days and why more anatomic structures are not named for things like seahorses.)  There is also a recency effect. 

Photo of Bexis

With apologies, this time, to Sir Paul − “The circuit judge, who held a grudge, has put the FDA’s banned on the run. . . .”

That’s just about what happened in Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Inc. v. United States FDA, ___ F.4th ___, 2021 WL 2799891 (D.C. Cir. July 6, 2021) (note the

Photo of Eric Alexander

When we think about litigation involving the FDA, our first thought is about preemption of claims brought by product liability plaintiffs.  Our second is probably the relatively recent line of cases where these plaintiffs would like no mention of FDA’s existence, let alone its requirements and actions, during the trial on their claims.  However, there

Photo of Eric Alexander

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

Photo of Eric Alexander

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

Photo of Bexis

Albert Einstein supposedly said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  He may not have, but the point is well taken.  We often think the same thing – particularly about plaintiffs that sue manufacturers of FDA premarket-approved (“PMA”) medical devices with vague, boilerplate complaints.  Haven’t they heard about