Lorenzi v. PFIZER INC.

519 F. Supp. 2d 742, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79043, 2007 WL 3125140
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedOctober 24, 2007
Docket4:06 CV 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 519 F. Supp. 2d 742 (Lorenzi v. PFIZER INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lorenzi v. PFIZER INC., 519 F. Supp. 2d 742, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79043, 2007 WL 3125140 (N.D. Ohio 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

(Resolving Doc. Nos. 21, 35, 36)

DAVID D. DOWD, JR., District Judge.

Before the Court is the motion for summary judgment of defendant, Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) (Doc. No. 21, as supplemented by Doc. No. 28), plaintiffs memorandum in opposition (Doc. No. 30), and Pfizer’s reply (Doc. No. 33). 1 For the reasons discussed below, the motion is granted.

I. BACKGROUND

On July 12, 2006, plaintiff Jamie Lorenzi filed an action against Pfizer in Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas. Pfizer properly removed the action to this Court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction.

The Complaint alleges that plaintiff began receiving Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection (“DPCI”) 2 on or about March *744 1997 and continued every three months thereafter until January 2005. The injections were administered by personnel at the Planned Parenthood office in Youngstown, Ohio. There is no dispute that defendant and/or its successor manufactured and distributed the drug.

On October 6, 2004, for no apparent medical reason, 3 plaintiff underwent a bone mineral density scan, which revealed that she had what would be considered low bone mineral density (“BMD”). Plaintiff asserts that her low BMD, which she characterizes as an injury, was caused by Depo-Provera and that defendant failed to give adequate warnings that bone loss was a possible side effect of using the contraceptive. Plaintiffs deposition reveals that she is currently 30 years old, having been born in 1977.

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Summary judgment is appropriate where there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56. When considering a motion for summary judgment, “the inferences to be drawn from the underlying facts contained in [affidavits, pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions] must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion.” U.S. v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655, 82 S.Ct. 993, 8 L.Ed.2d 176 (1962). However, the adverse party “may not rest upon mere allegation or denials of his pleading, but must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 256, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

The Rule requires the nonmoving party who has the burden of proof at trial to oppose a proper summary judgment motion “by any of the kinds of evidentiary material listed in Rule 56(c), except the mere pleadings themselves[.]” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). General averments or conclusory allegations of an affidavit do not create specific fact disputes for summary judgment purposes. See Lujan v. National Wildlife Federation, 497 U.S. 871, 888-89, 110 S.Ct. 3177, 111 L.Ed.2d 695 (1990). Nor may a party “create a factual issue by filing an affidavit, after a motion for summary judgment has been made, which contradicts ... earlier deposition testimony.” Reid v. Sears Roebuck & Co., 790 F.2d 453, 460 (6th Cir.1986) (citing Biechele v. Cedar Point, Inc., 747 F.2d 209, 215 (6th Cir.1984)); but see Baer v. Chase, 392 F.3d 609, 623-26 (3d Cir.2004) (noting that a so-called “sham” affidavit need not be disregarded if there is “independent evidence in the record to bolster [the] otherwise questionable affidavit”). Further, “ ‘[t]he mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the plaintiffs position will be insufficient; there must be evidence on which the jury could reasonably find for the plaintiff.’ ” Street v. J.C. Bradford & Co., 886 *745 F.2d 1472, 1477 (6th Cir.1989) (quoting Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505).

In sum, “[t]he inquiry performed is the threshold inquiry of determining whether there is the need for a trial — whether, in other words, there are any genuine factual issues that properly can be resolved only by a finder of fact because they may reasonably be resolved in favor of either party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Put another way, this Court must determine “whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Id. at 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505. See also Wexler v. White’s Fine Furniture, Inc., 317 F.3d 564, 578 (6th Cir.2003) (“[t]he conflicting proof and the inferences that can be drawn therefrom raise genuine issues of material fact that preclude the grant of summary judgment”).

III. DISCUSSION

A. Some Background on Depo-Provera

Depo-Provera was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for non-contraceptive use in 1960. (See Doc. No. 22-7). It has been used around the globe as a contraceptive for about 30 years, but the FDA did not approve it for such use in this country until October 1992. (Doc. No. 22-8). Marketing of the drug in the United States began in 1992. From 1992 until 2004, the Package Insert gave the following warning:

2. Bone Mineral Density Changes
Use of DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection may be considered among the risk factors for development of osteoporosis. The rate of bone loss is greatest in the early years of use and then subsequently approaches the normal rate of age related fall.

(Hughes Aff., Doc. No. 22-4, p. 14).

During that same time frame, the additional Patient Brochure distributed for discretionary use by physicians in advising patients stated, in relevant part:

Risks of Using DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection
2. Bone Mineral Changes
Use of DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection may be associated with a decrease in the amount of mineral stored in your bones.

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519 F. Supp. 2d 742, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79043, 2007 WL 3125140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lorenzi-v-pfizer-inc-ohnd-2007.