The district court’s order applying Michigan law and dismissing one plaintiff’s complaint in the Tapezza MDL may be the last of a dying breed. The court faithfully enforced Michigan’s statute providing a presumption of non-defectiveness for FDA approved drugs and dismissed the plaintiffs’ case. But alas, Michigan repealed that law effective February 13, 2024, thus
Michigan
Possible Learned Intermediary Showdown in Michigan
On its face, Osos v. Nuvasive, Inc., 2024 WL 3585092 (E.D. Mich. July 30, 2024), is a fairly routine medical implant product liability lawsuit, involving allegations of metallosis that have already been around the block quite a few times in hip implant cases. Osos involves a somewhat different device, but the legal principles are no different.
But Osos involves Michigan law, and Michigan (as we first mentioned at the end of last year, and discussed more thoroughly here) only recently repealed a longstanding conclusive presumption of non-defectiveness based on FDA drug approvals. That presumption, which “functionally foreclosed” most product liability claims against, such products, White v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., 538 F. Supp.2d 1023, 1029 (W.D. Mich. 2008), undoubtedly reduced litigation by Michigan plaintiffs. See Our “Michigan Diaspora” post. The repeal will equally undoubtedly cause Michigan prescription medical product litigation to rebound.Continue Reading Possible Learned Intermediary Showdown in Michigan
Guest Post – Michigan Product Liability Law: Retroactivity of New Law and Primer
Today’s guest post is by Sherry Knutson and Brenda Sweet of Tucker Ellis, and concerns the recently passed legislative repeal of a Michigan statute that, for several decades had effectively immunized prescription drugs from ordinary product liability actions under Michigan law. For background, here’s a prior blogpost that focused on the now-repealed statute. As…
Proton Pump Plaintiffs Can’t Meet Burden on Michigan Immunity Exception
Today’s decision comes from In re: Proton Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation—an MDL pending in New Jersey. But the decision is all about the 197 Michigan plaintiffs in the MDL. The plaintiffs who either live in Michigan, got their prescription in Michigan, were diagnosed with their injury in Michigan, and/or received treatment for their…
More on a Great D.N.J. Decision Dismissing Two Plaintiffs’ Hernia Mesh Claims
We have promised ourselves that we will stream this week’s “This Is Us” episode when we finish this blog post. We love this series beyond reason, and we dread its imminent demise, notwithstanding the title’s grammatical transgression. (We generally condition any sort of allegiance on correct use of predicate nominatives.) We are struck, over and…
Michigan Appellate Court Won’t Force Hospital to Administer Ivermectin to Covid Patient
Unintended Consequences for Software Liability?
We have been following the issue of potential product liability for software, including in connection with medical devices, for a while. Much of our attention, predictably, has been on FDA regulation of device software, including issues related to resistance to hacking to obtain information or cause harm. Like here, here, here, and…
FNC Won’t Let Mass Litigation Tourism Be
Excellent Infuse Preemption Decision out of Eastern District of Michigan
One, Two, Three Strikes You’re Out
With new grass on the field, the 2019 baseball season is underway and optimism springs eternal. Here in Philadelphia, the Phillies have actually around the top of the NL east for the first time since, umm…., last year actually. But this year, having added possibly the best player and best catcher in the league,…