E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. (In re)

379 F. Supp. 3d 669
District Court, S.D. Ohio·Decided May 15, 2019·No. Civil Action 2:13-md-2433·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

EDMUND A. SARGUS, JR. CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Defendant's Motion to Permit Rule 35 Medical Examination

This matter is before the Court on Defendant's Motion to Permit the Rule 35 Medical Examination of Plaintiff Angela Swartz ("Def's Mot. for IME") (ECF No. 19 ), Plaintiff's Memorandum in Opposition (ECF No. 20 ), and Defendant's Reply (ECF No. 21 ). For the reasons that follow, the Court DENIES Defendant's Motion.

I.

Plaintiff Angela Swartz brings this "civil action for equitable relief, compensatory and punitive damages, costs incurred and to be incurred by Plaintiffs, and any other damages which the Court or jury may deem appropriate for bodily injury and property damage arising from the intentional, knowing, reckless and negligent acts and omissions of the Defendants in connection with contamination of human drinking water supplies used by Plaintiff Angela Swartz." (Am. Compl. ¶ 1, ECF No. 15.) DuPont does not dispute that for decades it released into the water around its Washington Works plant a synthetic perfluorinated carboxylic acid and fluorosurfactant also known as perfluorooctoanoic acid or ammonium perfluorooctanoate ("C-8"). Mrs. Swartz alleges that the C-8 released from DuPont's Washington Works Plant caused her to develop kidney cancer. Under a contractual agreement between DuPont and a group of individuals who drank water contaminated with C-8, DuPont agreed not to contest whether C-8 is capable of causing Mrs. Swartz's kidney cancer (i.e. , general causation), and retained the right to contest whether C-8 actually caused her cancer (i.e. , specific causation).

*671Mrs. Swartz alleges that the C-8 "[r]eleases have made and/or continue to make Plaintiff and other exposed individuals physically ill and otherwise physically harmed, and/or have caused and continue to cause associated emotional and mental stress, anxiety, and fear of current and future illnesses, including but not limited to, fear of significantly increased risk of cancer and other disease, among Plaintiffs and the other class members." (Am. Compl. ¶ 52, ECF No. 15.) Mrs. Swartz brings claims for relief for negligence, malicious/reckless indifference, and loss of consortium. As damages for her negligence claim, she requests:

a. Medical and hospital bills treatment of injuries;
b. Physical injury, both temporary and permanent;
c. Economic damages;
d. Severe and significant emotional distress and mental pain and suffering;
e. Humiliation, embarrassment and fear;
f. Loss of enjoyment of life;
g. Annoyance and inconvenience; and
h. Other damages, which, under the law and circumstances, Plaintiffs are entitled to recover, including attorneys' fees and costs associated with the prosecution of this action.

Id. ¶ 62.

Mrs. Swartz's trial will be the fifth held in this MDL, and the first Post-Settlement1 trial. The plaintiffs in the other four trials made the same claims, based on the same theories of liability, and asked for the exact same damages and relief. See e.g., Freeman v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Case No. Case No. 2:13-cv-1103, ECF No. 40, Am. Compl., ¶ 57: Compensatory damages for negligence of "a. Medical and hospital bills for treatment of injuries; b. Physical injury, both temporary and permanent; c. Economic damages; d. Severe and significant emotional distress and mental pain and suffering; e. Humiliation, embarrassment and fear; f. Loss of enjoyment of life; g. Annoyance and inconvenience; and h. Other damages, which, under the law and circumstances, Plaintiffs are entitled to recover, including attorneys' fees and costs associated with the prosecution of this action"); Vigneron v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Case No. Case No. 2:13-cv-136, ECF No. 73, Am. Compl., ¶ 73: Compensatory damages for negligence of "a. Medical and hospital bills for treatment of injuries; b. Physical injury, both temporary and permanent; c. Economic damages; d. Severe and significant emotional distress and mental pain and suffering; e. Humiliation, embarrassment and fear; f. Loss of enjoyment of life; g. Annoyance and inconvenience; and h. Other damages, which, under the law and circumstances, Plaintiffs are entitled to recover, including attorneys' fees and costs associated with the prosecution of this action").

On March 25, 2019, DuPont filed its Motion for a Rule 35 Medical Exam, requesting the Court to order Mrs. Swartz to submit to "an independent mental examination." (Def's Mot. for IME at 1, ECF No. 19.) That motion is ripe for review.

II.

Rule 35 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a court "may order a party whose mental or physical condition ... is in controversy to submit to a physical or mental examination by a suitably licensed or certified examiner." Fed. R. Civ. P. 35(a)(1). Such an order "may be made only on motion for good cause and *672on notice to all parties and the person to be examined." Fed. R. Civ. P. 35(a)(2)(A).

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E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. (In re), 379 F. Supp. 3d 669 (S.D. Ohio 2019).

379 F. Supp. 3d 669 (E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. (In re)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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