Defendants in Mass Tort Pelvic Mesh Lawsuits May Now Succeed With Removal to Federal Court – Non-Diverse Defendant Wins Dismissal

In a significant win for Secant Medical LLC, (Secant), Judge Arnold L. New of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County granted its motion to dismiss mass tort pelvic mesh personal injury claims in a decision dated August 22, 2014.  The court held that under the Biomedical Access Assurance Act (BAAA), Secant is not a manufacturer or seller of the pelvic mesh. Secant, a Pennsylvania company, was undoubtedly named to defeat diversity jurisdiction in an effort by plaintiffs to stay in state court in…
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Opens Door for Negligent Design Claims Against Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

In a decision with significant potential ramifications, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has issued a ruling that pharmaceutical companies can be held liable for negligence in the design and marketing of drugs, regardless of claims that the drugs had been properly labeled and tested, as well as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The ruling, announced January 22nd, upholds an intermediate appellate court decision against a Pfizer, Inc. subsidiary in a wrongful death action involving the diet drug Redux. In its 4-2 decision, the…
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Claims Regarding Post-FDA Approval Problems Not Preempted

While Medical Device Amendments of 1976, 21 U.S.C. § 360k(a) provides protection to manufacturers for medical devices approved by the FDA, certain post-FDA approval activities may still give rise to claims.  In this recent case, the defendant St. Jude Medical, Inc. moved to dismiss the complaints against it for injuries allegedly resulting from St. Jude Riata leads on implantable cardiac defibrillators where the insulation failed and caused unnecessary shocks in the body.  The product was removed from the market in 2010, a warning letter was…
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