Friedman v. F.E. Myers Co.

706 F. Supp. 376, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145, 1989 WL 10430
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 11, 1989
DocketCiv. A. 88-3033
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 706 F. Supp. 376 (Friedman v. F.E. Myers Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Friedman v. F.E. Myers Co., 706 F. Supp. 376, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145, 1989 WL 10430 (E.D. Pa. 1989).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

NEWCOMER, District Judge.

Before the court are the following motions: motion for summary judgment of F.E. Myers Co. (Myers); motion of Monsanto Company for summary judgment on causation or, in the alternative, motion in li-mine to preclude expert testimony; and motion of General Electric Company for summary judgment on causation or, in the alternative, motion in limine to preclude expert testimony; and General Electric’s motion in limine to preclude testimony by plaintiffs’ experts Rock, Furbish, and Fitzgerald.

I. Factual Background

This is a personal injury action arising out of plaintiffs’ alleged exposure to poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As alleged by plaintiffs, a submersible water pump manufactured by defendant F.E. Myers Co. was installed in a water well at their home in 1974. The pump contained a capacitor manufactured by defendant General Electric. The capacitor contained PCBs manufactured or sold by defendant Monsanto. During September 1986, plaintiffs ingested and showered in water from the well that tasted or felt “oily.” Plaintiff Carol Pearl testified at her deposition that the water tasted oily, and that sometime later in the day after taking a shower in the oily water she felt “disoriented and dizzy.” Myers Exh. B at 58, 57. Plaintiff Barry Friedman (Friedman) took a shower and afterwards noticed an oily feeling in his hair and on his skin. Myers Exh. A at 61. Plaintiff Edward Pearl also took a shower and noticed that the water was oily. Myers Exh. C at 19. Friedman and Carol Pearl later underwent medical tests which indicate that their bodies contain PCBs in concentrations exceeding the “normal” amounts. Plaintiffs’ Exh. 7.

Plaintiffs’ amended complaint includes five counts, as follows: Count I is a negligence claim; Count II is a strict liability claim; Count III is a breach of warranty claim; Count IV is a concert of action claim asserting that Myers acted with other pump manufacturers and a trade association to disseminate false and misleading information about the dangers of PCBs in well pumps; and Count V alleges a civil conspiracy by Myers and the trade association to disseminate false and misleading information about the dangers of PCBs in well pumps.

With regard to the injuries sustained, plaintiffs claim that:

[a]s a proximate result of being exposed to these PCBs plaintiffs have sustained damage, suffering and losses both to their persons and to their property.
As a further and direct proximate result of defendant’s conduct, plaintiffs, particularly plaintiff Carol Pearl, have undergone pain, mental anguish and emotional distress and will continue to do so, have experienced a severe anxiety, hysteria and fear, any or all of which has or will develop into a psychiatric condition due, inter alia, to the acquired knowledge that they were unknowingly exposed to PCBs and can contract, as a result therefrom, cancer.

Amended Complaint, ¶¶ 11-12. In a nutshell, then, plaintiffs claim to have suffered injury in the form of pain and suffering, emotional distress, and fear of developing cancer as a result of their alleged exposure to PCBs. 1

Defendants have moved for summary judgment on several grounds. First, they *379 claim that plaintiffs have no present physical injury and are thus precluded from recovery under Pennsylvania law. Second, they claim that plaintiffs are unable to show a causal relationship between the conduct of the defendants and plaintiffs alleged injuries. Third, they claim that the opinion of plaintiffs’ expert (regarding plaintiffs’ increased risk of cancer and the reasonableness of their fear of developing cancer as a result of the alleged exposure to PCBs) is insufficient under the Federal Rules of Evidence as a matter of law. Fourth, they argue that plaintiffs’ breach of warranty claim is barred by the applicable statute of limitations. Fifth, they claim that plaintiffs lack sufficient evidence to support their concert of action and civil conspiracy claims against defendant Myers.

II. Summary Judgment Standard

A trial court may enter summary judgment if, after a review of all evidentiary material in the record, there is no genuine issue as to any material facts, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. White v. Westinghouse Electric Co., 862 F.2d 56, 59 (3d Cir.1988); Bank of America Natl. Trust and Sav. Ass’n v. Hotel Rittenhouse Associates, 595 F.Supp. 800 (E.D.Pa.1984). The evidence presented must be viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. White, 862 F.2d at 59. Where no reasonable resolution of the conflicting evidence and inferences therefrom could result in a judgment for the non-moving party, the moving party is entitled to summary judgment. Tose v. First Pennsylvania Bank, N.A., 648 F.2d 879, 883 (3rd Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 893, 102 S.Ct. 390, 70 L.Ed.2d 208 (1981).

The moving party has the initial burden of identifying evidence which it believes shows an absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 159, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 1609, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970); Childers v. Joseph, 842 F.2d 689, 694 (3d Cir.1988). The moving party’s burden may be discharged by demonstrating that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmov-ing ing party’s case. party's case. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. at 2554. Once the moving party satisfies its burden, the burden shifts to the non-moving party, who must go beyond its pleadings and designate specific facts by use of affidavits, depositions, admissions or answers to interrogatories showing there is a genuine issue for trial. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553. Moreover, when the nonmoving party bears the burden of proof, it must “ ‘make a showing sufficient to establish [every] element essential to that party’s case.’ ” Equimark Commercial Fin. Co. v. C.I.T. Fin. Servs. Corp., 812 F.2d 141, 144 (3d Cir.1987) (quoting Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552). Summary judgment must be granted “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” White, 862 F.2d at 59 (quoting Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552).

III. Discussion

A. Physical Injury Requirement

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Bluebook (online)
706 F. Supp. 376, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145, 1989 WL 10430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/friedman-v-fe-myers-co-paed-1989.