Law Brief®: David Pfeffer and Richard Schoenstein Discuss the Legal Implications of Infrastructure Collapses
The claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism was meritless on its face, held the U.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York (Doe v. Merck & Co, Inc.). The action filed on behalf of “Baby Doe” stemmed from Merck-manufactured...more
The Situation: The Third Circuit decided Sikkelee II, a closely watched case involving preemption in the aviation context. The Outcome: A divided Third Circuit held, 2–1, that federal aviation law did not "conflict...more
To prepare the best product liability defense for pharmaceuticals and medical devices as well as anticipate and strategically plan for future challenges in the medical and life sciences legal world, it is often helpful to...more
Massachusetts state and federal courts issued a number of important product liability decisions in 2017. The Product Liability and Toxic Tort Litigation Group at Nutter recently reviewed these cases. Highlighted below are...more
In a surprising decision and split with the Seventh Circuit, the Third Circuit recently held that plaintiffs have standing to sue for unfair trade practices under the theory that a manufacturer is obligated to optimize the...more
On April 19, 2016, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion on the issue of federal preemption in Sikkelee v. Precision Airmotive Corp. The sixty-one page opinion effectively narrowed the scope of federal...more
Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a groundbreaking opinion in Yates v. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. that could change the liability landscape for brand-name drug manufacturers. No. 15-3104...more
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Failure-to-Warn Claim Against Drug Manufacturer Not Preempted Because There Was No “Clear Evidence” FDA Would Not Have Approved Plaintiffs’ Suggested Warning; Also Holds...more
Included in this Issue: ..United States Supreme Court Reverses First Circuit and Holds Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic Act Preempts Design Defect Claims against Generic Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ..United States...more
On June 24, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. Inc. v. Bartlett, 570 U.S. ____ (2013), finding that design-defect claims against generic drug companies are pre-empted where...more
On June 24, 2013, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. v. Bartlett held that state-law design-defect claims based on the inadequacy of a generic drug’s labeled warnings are pre-empted...more
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court held that state law design defect claims against manufacturers of generic pharmaceuticals are preempted by federal law when the claim hinges on the adequacy of the drug's...more
Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the much-anticipated Mutual Pharms. Co. v. Bartlett, No. 12-142 (on appeal from the First Circuit Bartlett v. Mutual Pharms. Co., 678 F.3d 30 (1st Cir. 2012)). As we...more
In a significant victory for generic drug companies, the Supreme Court today issued its decision in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett, reversing the decision of the First Circuit, which had affirmed a multimillion dollar...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral argument in the much-anticipated Mutual Pharmaceuticals v. Bartlett case, No. 12-142 (on appeal from the First Circuit Bartlett v. Mutual Pharms. Co., 678 F.3d 30 (1st Cir. 2012)). The...more
The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in the much-anticipated Mutual Pharmaceuticals v. Bartlett case, No. 12-142 (on appeal from the First Circuit Bartlett v. Mutual Pharms. Co., 678 F.3d 30 (1st Cir. 2012)). The...more
Generic drug manufacturers were encouraged on Friday when the Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case of Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett, No. 12-142 (on appeal from the First Circuit, Bartlett v. Mutual Pham. Co.,...more
On February 22, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 562 U.S. __ (2011). The Court’s 6-2 opinion, written by Justice Scalia (Justice Kagan took no part in the decision), held that design defect claims...more