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

It may be post Mardi Gras season, but we don't think there is ever a bad time to embrace the motto – "Laissez les bons temps rouler." Quite literally – "Let the good times roll." However, don't try this with your high school French teacher, because after her gasp of horror, she will tell you that the grammatically correct way to get a party started in France is "Prenons du bons temps." Of course, the Louisiana version is really Cajun French as opposed to France French and with both having so many good things to offer it's really a matter of preference in a given moment. Like deciding if you're in the mood for bouillabaisse or crawfish etouffee; a beignet or a croissant; a Hurricane or a Cabernet Franc.

Now that we've got you thinking about what's for dinner, we can narrow our Louisiana focus to just the Louisiana Products Liability Act ("LPLA") – hoping to whet your legal appetite now. In the case of Pierre v. Medtronic, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67773 (E.D. Lous. April 23, 2018), plaintiff alleged she was injured as a result of defendant's self-fixating mesh that was used in plaintiff's abdominal surgery. Plaintiff alleges she suffered an infection and pain following her surgery. Id. at *2. We are jumping to the end of the decision to immediately lop off several of plaintiff's claims. The court dismissed claims for breach of warranty of fitness for ordinary use, negligence, breach of implied warranty, negligent misrepresentation, and negligent design all on the grounds that they exceed the scope of the LPLA and the LPLA "sets forth the exclusive theories of liability for manufacturers for damage caused by their products." Id. at *15.

So, what claims does the LPLA allow? Manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, and express warranty. Id. at *5. And on defendant's motion to dismiss, only half those claims survived. The first claim to survive, unusual for a drug/device case, is for manufacturing defect. That's because here plaintiff had a specific allegation that the mesh used in her surgery was improperly sterilized which led to her development of an infection. Because plaintiff is challenging a deviation from the standard procedures for this product, she's stated a claim for a manufacturing defect. But the court was clear that what plaintiff could not do is attack the defendant's sterilization process generally, only this particular alleged deviation. Id. at *7-8.

Next plaintiff alleged two design defects. First plaintiff alleged that the mesh was defective in that it was made of polyester, a weaker material than used in other mesh products, and that the weaker material required a different method of being secured which ultimately led to causing plaintiff more pain than she would have suffered with a different method of attachment. Id. at *8-9. Since plaintiff alleged a design defect, alleged that that defect was the cause of one of her injuries (pain), and that alternative designs existed, she passed TwIqbal on this claim. Her second design claim, however, did not meet that standard. Plaintiff alleged that the design of the mesh caused her infection by lowering her pH. But missing from this claim is any suggestion of "the existence of a feasible alternative design that would prevent the alleged injury." Id. at *10.

There was no splitting the baby on plaintiff's failure to warn claim. It was dismissed in its entirety. As to the alleged failure to warn about infection, plaintiff relies exclusively on a single marketing document. However, plaintiff failed to allege any facts "to plausibly suggest that [plaintiff's] surgeon relied, or any competent surgeon would rely, on this marketing document when deciding whether to perform surgery." Id. at *11. A pretty demanding standard when you infer, and we think the court was so implying, that no competent surgeon relies on marketing material to make medical decisions. Moreover, the court pointed out several ways in which the marketing document cites to other documents, most importantly to the "Instructions for Use" of the mesh demonstrating that "Defendants did not rely solely, if at all, on the marketing document to warn users of the risks." Id. at *12. Not to mention that the risk of infection is a "common surgical complication" most likely already known to plaintiff's surgeon. Id.

Plaintiff's second failure to warn claim was based on a failure to warn that the mesh might contract after surgery causing pain. Id. Here plaintiff failed to allege any facts about what warning was provided to plaintiff's surgeon relying only on a boilerplate statement that defendant didn't warn. Id. But such an "allegation is too broad to state a claim because it does not identify (1) which aspects of the product warranted a warning and (2) what injuries resulted from the failure to warn." Id. at *13. Too vague to withstand dismissal.

So too was plaintiff's breach of express warranty claim. Plaintiff only alleged that defendant warranted the product was safe and fit for its intended use, merchantable, adequately tested, and did not have dangerous side effects. Id. at *14. But a claim that a product is "safe" or "effective" is only a "general opinion" or "general praise," insufficient to form the basis for an express warranty under the LPLA.

Of the 6 claims brought that were permissible under the LPLA, only 2 survived the motion to dismiss. Not a complete win, but good enough to put in the "good times" category. And if you don't want to get embroiled in the French debate, we recommend following the lead of Shirley & Lee from 1956 or The Cars from 1978 and just let the good times roll (in English).

This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.