Doe v. Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

350 F. Supp. 2d 257, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 551, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25861, 2004 WL 2966644
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maine
DecidedDecember 21, 2004
DocketCIV.03-74-B-W
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 350 F. Supp. 2d 257 (Doe v. Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doe v. Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 350 F. Supp. 2d 257, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 551, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25861, 2004 WL 2966644 (D. Me. 2004).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WOODCOCK, District Judge.

Jane Doe 1 sincerely believes her ingestion of the prescriptive medicine Luvox caused her to suffer a severe manic episode, resulting in her involuntary admission to a mental health institution. She sued Solvay Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Luvox, under a number of theories, alleging in essence that Solvay improperly manufactured and distributed Luvox and that it failed adequately to warn her of its risks, specifically the risk of a manic episode. Solvay moved for summary judgment. This Court grants Solvay’s Motion, based on Ms. Doe’s failure to raise a genuine issue of material fact on her claim that the Luvox she took was defective and based on the application of the learned intermediary rule on the failure to warn question. 2

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A. Summary Judgment Standard.

Summary judgment is appropriate only if “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Santoni v. Potter, 369 F.3d 594, 598 (1st Cir.2004). Not every factual dispute is “sufficient to thwart summary judgment; the contested fact must be ‘material’ and the dispute over it must be ‘genuine.’ ” Navarro v. Pfizer Corp., 261 F.3d 90, 93 (1st Cir.2001). A “material” fact is one that “might affect the outcome of the suit under the applicable legal standard.” Santoni, 369 F.3d at 598 (citing Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986)). An issue is “genuine” if the evidence is such that “a reasonable jury could resolve it in favor of either party.” Santoni, 369 F.3d at 598 (citation omitted). In deciding whether a genuine issue of material fact exists, the Court “construes the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party.” Id. (citing Flowers v. Fiore, 359 F.3d 24, 29 (1st Cir.2004)).

B. Local Rule 56.

The evidence the Court may consider in deciding whether genuine issues of material fact exist for purposes of a summary *260 judgment motion is circumscribed by the Local Rules of this District. See Local Rule 56. The moving party must first file a statement of material facts that it claims are not in dispute. Local Rule 56(b). Each fact must be set forth in a numbered paragraph and supported by a specific record citation. Id. The nonmoving party is then required to submit a responsive “separate, short and concise” statement of facts in which it must “admit, deny, or qualify the facts by reference to each numbered paragraph of the moving party’s statement of material facts.” Local Rule 56(c). The nonmovant likewise must support each denial or qualification with an appropriate record citation. Id The moving party may then respond with a reply statement of material facts in similar format. Local Rule 56(d). Failure to comply with the Rule can result in serious consequences: “Facts contained in a supporting or opposing statement of material facts, if supported by record citations as required by this rule, shall be deemed admitted unless properly controverted.” Local Rule 56(e).

In general, Local Rule 56 contemplates the Court will discount any statement of material fact or a response containing irrelevant argument or factual assertions unsupported by appropriate record citation. See Local Rule 56(e); Toomey v. Unum Life Ins. Co., 324 F.Supp.2d 220, 222 (D.Me.2004); Cadle Co. v. Hayes, 116 F.3d 957, 960 (1st Cir.1997) (the “evidence illustrating the factual controversy cannot be conjectural or problematic” and “effusive rhetoric and optimistic surmise” is not enough to establish a genuine issue of material fact”). In accordance with these principles, the Court has disregarded unsupported or argumentative portions of Plaintiffs Opposing Statement of Material Facts and Additional Facts. 3

II. BACKGROUND FACTS

In accordance with “conventional summary judgment praxis,” the Court recounts the facts in a light most favorable to Jane Doe’s theory of the case consistent with record support. Gillen v. Fallon Ambulance Serv., 283 F.3d 11, 16 (1st Cir.2002). The Court has relied either on the uncontested facts or on Ms. Doe’s version, if properly placed in conflict.

Jane Doe is a resident of Maine, and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Solvay”) is a Georgia corporation with a principle place of business in Marietta, Georgia. 4 (DSMF ¶¶ 1, 24). In 1994, Ms. Doe was treated for obsessive-compulsive disorder (“OCD”) by a Maine psychiatrist. (DSMF ¶23). After moving in 1997, Ms. Doe again sought treatment for OCD from her psychiatrist. (DSMF ¶ 27). Ms. Doe began to take Luvox on July 21,1997 to treat her OCD. (DSMF ¶ 27; POSMF ¶ 27). A prescriptive medication, Luvox, or fluvoxa- *261 mine maléate, a selective serotonin reup-take inhibitor (“SSRI”), was used to treat obsession and compulsive behavior. (DSMF ¶¶ 3, 4, 11; POSMF ¶11). On September 3, 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew its approval of the New Drug Application for Luvox, noting possible inaccuracies in the chemical, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) section of the application. (POSMF ¶ 11, Exhibit 1 at 1). In withdrawing Luvox’s application, the FDA noted that although the findings in the CMC section “raised concerns about the drug product as manufactured by Solvay, they do not affect the safety or efficacy of flu-voxamine maleate in treating obsessive compulsive disorder.” (POSMF ¶ 11, Exhibit 1 at 2).

Based on his professional judgment and information from Solvay, Ms. Doe’s psychiatrist considered Luvox to be a safe and appropriate medication to prescribe to treat her OCD. (DSMF ¶¶ 28-32; POSMF ¶ 28-32). He discussed with Ms. Doe potential adverse side effects of the drug, particularly that the drug can cause mania in some patients. (DSMF ¶¶ 33-44). The Physicians Desk Reference (PDR), which he consulted, confirms Luvox has been prescribed for treatment of OCD and sets forth the following warning:

[djuring premarketing studies involving primarily depressed patients, hypomania or mania occurred in approximately 1% of patients treated with fluvoxamine.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
350 F. Supp. 2d 257, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 551, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25861, 2004 WL 2966644, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doe-v-solvay-pharmaceuticals-inc-med-2004.