Houston v. Medtronic, Inc.

957 F. Supp. 2d 1166, 2013 WL 3927839, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108996
CourtDistrict Court, D. California
DecidedJuly 30, 2013
DocketCase No. 2:13-cv-1679-SVW-SH
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 957 F. Supp. 2d 1166 (Houston v. Medtronic, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houston v. Medtronic, Inc., 957 F. Supp. 2d 1166, 2013 WL 3927839, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108996 (californiad 2013).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT [16]

STEPHEN V. WILSON, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On March 8, 2013, Plaintiff Jennifer Houston (“Plaintiff’) commenced this action against Defendants Medtronic, Inc., and Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc. (collectively, “Defendants”). Plaintiff alleges that she suffered harmful side effects after undergoing lumbar surgery in which her surgeon used Defendants’ product, the Infuse Device, in an off-label manner. (Dkt. 1 (“Compl.”) ¶¶ 1-13). Now before [1170]*1170the Court is Defendants’ motion to dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). For the reasons below, the motion is GRANTED and the Complaint is DISMISSED with leave to amend.

II. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

A. Subject Device

Medtronic Sofamor Danek, USA, Inc. (“MSD”), a division of Medtronic, Inc., manufactures a medical device known as the InFUSETM Bone Graft/LT-C AGE tm Lumbar Tapered Fusion Device (“Infuse Device”). (See Def. Req. Judicial Not. (“RJN”), Ex. B (“PMA”)).1 The clinical purpose of the subject device is to join vertebrae together and eliminate or reduce movement between vertebrae. (Compl. ¶ 50). Thus, physicians may use the Infuse Device in spinal fusion surgeries instead of implanting a patient’s own bone or cadaver bone to form a bone graft. (Compl. ¶¶ 1-2).

Defendants’ Infuse Device consists of two sub-components: (1) a metallic cylindrical cage (“LT-Cage™”); (2) the InFU-SETM Bone Graft, which is comprised of a liquid protein (rhBMP-2), and a collagen sponge carrier for the protein, both of which are placed inside the cage. (Compl. ¶¶ 55-56). The LT-Cage maintains the spacing between vertebrae and temporarily stabilizes the diseased region of the spine, whereas the liquid protein binds with the sponge to stimulate bone growth. (Id. ¶¶ 57-58).

B. Premarket Approval

The Infuse Device is a Class III device under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (“FDCA”), as amended by the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 (“MDA”), a classification reserved for devices that pose the greatest risk of death or complications. (Compl. ¶ 64). For that reason, Defendants were required to obtain premarket approval (“PMA”) from the FDA before it could sell or distribute the subject device. (Id. ¶ 65). Accordingly, Defendants filed a PMA application in 2001, submitting extensive clinical data and nonclinical studies to shore up the subject device’s safety and efficacy. (Id.).

On July 2, 2002, the FDA granted premarket approval for the Infuse Device for spinal fusion procedures to treat degenerative disc disease. (RJN, Ex. A at 1). The FDA’s approval letter stated that the Infuse Device may only be implanted (1) from the anterior (front) abdomen, and (2) placed within lumbar spine levels L4 through SI. (Compl. ¶¶ 72-73); (RJN, Ex. B at 1). In addition, the FDA approved labeling emphasizes that the InFUSETM Bone Graft must not be used without the LTCage. (Compl. ¶ 74); (RJN, Ex. G at l).2 Thus, any operation that uses the Infuse Device in a manner inconsistent [1171]*1171with the above indication constitutes an “off-label” use of the device. Such off-label procedures include, for example, posterior lumbar spinal fusion (approaching spine from the back), cervical fusion surgeries (neck), or surgeries without the LTCageTM. (Compl. ¶¶ 3, 77).3 As described below, Plaintiffs claims stem from such an off-label use of the subject device. (Id. ¶¶ 1-3, 76-77).

C. Plaintiffs Surgery

In October 2008, Plaintiff underwent a posterior-approach lumbar fusion at levels L4-L5-S1. Her physician performed the surgery using the Infuse Device in the following off-label manner: the device was implanted by means of a posterior, not anterior, approach, and an LTCage was not used. (Compl. ¶ 248).

Plaintiff alleges that prior to her surgery, Defendants did not inform her of any risks attendant to the use of the Infuse Device in the lumbar spine, nor did Defendants adequately inform Plaintiffs surgeon of the true incidence of uncontrolled bone growth resulting from the use of the device in off-label procedures, or of other risks or dangers or complications associated with the off-label use of the device. (Id. ¶¶ 37-38, 249, 254). Plaintiff further alleges that Defendants affirmatively engaged in a lengthy campaign of off-label promotion of the Infuse Device to physicians and spine patients, including Plaintiff and her physician, while “minimizing, concealing, and/or downplaying” the increased safety risks associated with off-label use of the subject device. (Id. ¶¶ 11, 23). In reality, however, Plaintiff asserts that Defendants knew, or had reason to know, at least a year prior to her surgery, of the “true risks and dangers to spine patients of off-label use of Infuse,” including uncontrolled bone growth. (Id. ¶¶ 30-32).4

After her surgery, Plaintiff developed uncontrolled bone growth and resulting nerve compression near where the Infuse Device (in reality, only the IiiFUSEtm Bone Graft) was implanted. (Compl. ¶251). Plaintiff now suffers from bone overgrowth with nerve compression, chronic pain and radiculitis, and emotional distress and mental anguish. (Id. ¶ 256). [1172]*1172She has undergone multiple revision surgeries to attempt to remove the bone overgrowth. (Id. ¶ 257). Plaintiff asserts that she and her surgeon relied on Defendants’ alleged misrepresentations regarding the safety and efficacy of using the Infuse Device in an off-label manner, and that she would not have consented to the treatment had she known of its true risks. (Id. ¶¶ 39-40).

Based on the foregoing allegations, Plaintiff advances six causes of action against Defendants: (1) fraudulent misrepresentation and fraud in the inducement (Compl. ¶¶ 265-78); (2) strict products liability — failure to warn (id. ¶¶ 280-97); (3) strict products liability — design defect (id. ¶¶ 299-307); (4) strict products liability— misrepresentation (id. ¶¶ 309-21); (5) products liability — negligence (id. ¶¶ 323-37); and (6) breach of express warranty (id. ¶¶ 339-48).

III. LEGAL STANDARD

A. Rule 12(b)(6) Legal Standard

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) challenges the legal sufficiency of the claims stated in the complaint. Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b)(6). Dismissal is proper where there is a “ ‘lack of a cognizable legal theory’ ” or “ ‘the absence of sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory.’ ” Conservation Force v. Salazar, 646 F.3d 1240, 1242 (9th Cir.2011) (quoting Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dept., 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir.1990)). To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint “must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal,

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Bluebook (online)
957 F. Supp. 2d 1166, 2013 WL 3927839, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houston-v-medtronic-inc-californiad-2013.