Ansagay v. Dow Agrosciences LLC

153 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 82 ERC (BNA) 1102, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172470, 2015 WL 9582710
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedDecember 29, 2015
DocketCIVIL NO. 15-00184 SOM/RLP
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 153 F. Supp. 3d 1270 (Ansagay v. Dow Agrosciences LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ansagay v. Dow Agrosciences LLC, 153 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 82 ERC (BNA) 1102, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172470, 2015 WL 9582710 (D. Haw. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Susan Oki Mollway, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION.

Before the court is Defendant Dow Agroseiences LLC’s Motion for Summary Judgment against Plaintiffs. Plaintiff Nena Ansagay brought a suit individually; on behalf of the estate of her deceased husband, Benjamin O.K. Ansagay; and on behalf of their minor child, in connection with the death of Benjamin Ansagay, which Nena Ansagay attributes to his contact with Dursban TC, a pesticide manufactured by Dow. Dow contends that all the state-law claims are preempted under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Roden-ticide Act (“FIFRA”).

For the reasons discussed below, the court denies Dow’s motion.

II. BACKGROUND.

Dow developed, manufactured, marketed, and distributed ah insecticide called “Dursban TC,” which has as an active ingredient the chemical chlorpyrifos. See ECF No. 17-1, PageID # 204.

In 1981, Dow registered Dursban TC with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, pursuant to FIFRA, See ECF No. 16-1, PageID # 170. FIFRA is a comprehensive regulatory statute regulating the usé, sale, and labeling of pesticides. See 7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq. FIFRA requires a manufacturer .seeking to market a pesticide to first petition the EPA for registration. As part of the petition process, the manufacturer must submit data about the pesticide, as well as a proposed label. See 7 U.S.C. § 136a(c)(1)(C), (F).

Dursban TC was sold with an EPA-approved product label, that included the following words: “WARNING,” “MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED,” and “EXCESSIVE ABSORPTION THROUGH SKIN MAY BE FATAL.” See ECF No. 17-3, PageID #s 207-08. The label instructed users to observe the following handling procedures for safety:

Wear protective clothing when using or handling this product to help avoid exposure to eyes and skin. As a minimum, chemical workers’ goggles, neoprene or [1275]*1275natural rubber gloves and footwear, a long-sleeved shirt and long-legged pants or coveralls are recommended. To avoid breathing spray mist during application in confined areas, wear a mask or respirator of a type recommended by [the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] for filtering spray mists and organic vapors.

See id. The label also included a “Warranty Limitations and Disclaimer” section that said, “[T]his product conforms to the chemical description on the label and is reasonably fit for the purposes stated on the label when used in strict accordance with the directions therein under normal conditions of use.” See id., PageID #s 209-10.

From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Ansagay, a pesticide applicator for XTermco, Inc., used Dursban TC on an almost daily basis. See ECF No. 32, PageID # 809. Before his death, he admitted that he had not worn a respirator when applying Dursban TC, notwithstanding the instruction on the safety procedures on its label. See ECF No. 24, PageID # 536. According to Mr. Ansagay’s deposition testimony in a related worker’s compensation ease against XTermco, he did not believe he needed to wear a respirator because he had been told by the distributors of Dursban TC that the pesticide was safe for humans and would “flush out” of his body within a week. See id. One of Mr. Ansagay’s co-workers corroborated this statement, testifying that “representatives that sold Dursban TC to XTermco, Inc., told me and other ground treatment workers, that Dursban was safe to use because if it got in your system it would flush out of your system within one week.” ECF No. 20-3, PagelD # 423. The distributors that allegedly sold Dursban TC to XTermco were Defendant Van Waters & Rogers Corporation and Brewer Environmental Industries. See ECF No. 20-2, PageID # 421. Mrs. Ansagay alleges that Dow intended that sellers like Van Waters, and users like Mr. Ansagay, would rely on claims Dow published stating that Dursban TC was safe. See ECF No. 32, PageID #s 809-10.

Mrs. Ansagay alleges that Mr. Ansagay began to suffer from an assortment of health problems after his employment with XTermco ended. From 1999 to 2011, Mr. Ansagay was treated for depression. See id., PagelD # 811. During this time, Mr. Ansagay was also diagnosed with hypogo-nadism and male infertility, which was originally attributed to a genetic disorder. See id. In 2011, Mr. Ansagay learned that he had contracted, lung cancer. See id.

On November 21, 2013, Mr. Ansagay filed a worker’s -compensation claim against XTermco that ended with XTermco’s insurer accepting liability. See id., Pa-gelD # 812. Mr. Ansagay died on August 15, 2014, from lung cancer. See id., PageID # 809.

On April 2, 2015, Mrs. Ansagay, on behalf of herself, Mr. Ansagay’s estate, and their minor child, instituted a civil action against Dow in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawaii, Civil No. 15-1-0602-04. See ECF No. 1-1, PageID # 11.

On May 18, 2015, Dow removed the action to this court. See ECF No. 1.

In her Complaint, Mrs. Ansagay alleges that Mr. Ansagay’s exposure to Dursban TC resulted in his infertility, depression, hypogonadism, lung cancér, and death. See ECF No. 32, PageID # 806. The Complaint asserts claims against Dow for: (1) wrongful death; (2) negligence that caused Mr. Ansagay’s cancer; (3) negligence that caused Mr. Ansagay’s infertility and depression; (4) breach of express warranties; (5) breach of implied warranty; (6) strict product liability; (7) defective design, testing, and/or manufacturing; (8) negligent [1276]*1276infliction of emotional distress; and (9) intentional infliction of emotional distress. See id., PageID #s 816-21.1

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW.

Summary judgment shall be granted when “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a) (2010). See Addisu v. Fred Meyer, Inc., 198 F.3d 1130, 1134 (9th Cir.2000). A mov-ant must support his position that a material fact is or is not genuinely disputed by either “citing to particular parts of materials in the record, including depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations (including those made for the purposes of the motion only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or other materials”; or “showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). One of the principal purposes of summary judgment is to identify and dispose of factually unsupported claims and defenses. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-24, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Summary judgment must be granted against a party that fails to demonstrate facts to establish what will be an essential element at trial. See id. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

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Bluebook (online)
153 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 82 ERC (BNA) 1102, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172470, 2015 WL 9582710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ansagay-v-dow-agrosciences-llc-hid-2015.