Murray v. Motorola, Inc.

327 F. Supp. 2d 554, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13954
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJuly 19, 2004
DocketNo. MDL. 1421; Nos CIV. 01-MD-1421, CIV. CCB-02-4047, CIV. CCB-02-4048, CIV. CCB-02-4049, CIV. CCB-02-4050, CIV. CCB-02-4051, CIV. CCB-02-4052
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 327 F. Supp. 2d 554 (Murray v. Motorola, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Murray v. Motorola, Inc., 327 F. Supp. 2d 554, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13954 (D. Md. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

BLAKE, District Judge.

On June 21, 2002, a consolidated and renewed motion for remand filed in the Pinney, Farina, Gilliam, Gimpelson, and Naquin actions in this multidistrict litigation was denied.1 I held that federal question jurisdiction supported removal based on the substantial federal question doctrine. In re Wireless Tel. Radio Frequency Emissions Prods. Liab. Litig., 216 F.Supp.2d 474 (D.Md.2002).2 The prior remand decision did not address similar motions to remand now pending in the Murray, Schofield, Cochran, Keller, Schwamb, and Agro actions.3 The plaintiffs filed these suits in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, alleging state statutory and common law claims. The defendants filed notices of removal under 28 U.S.C. § 1441(b), asserting federal jurisdiction under several different theories, and the cases were removed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.4 The Judicial Panel on Multi-district Litigation subsequently transferred the cases to this court. The issues in the plaintiffs’ motions to remand have been fully briefed and no hearing is necessary. See Local Rule 105.6.5

As with the Pinney complaints, the crux of the Morganroth complaints is that the defendants have negligently and fraudulently endangered consumers by providing wireless cell phones that emit unsafe levels of radio frequency radiation (“RFR”). The Morganroth complaints assert similar causes of action to those raised in the Pinney complaints: (1) intentional fraud and misrepresentation; (2) negligent misrepresentation; (3) strict product liability, and product liability for failure to warn and design defect; (4) negligence; (5) breach of express and implied warranties; (6) civil conspiracy; (7) violations of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act of 2000; and (8) civil battery.6 Unlike the Pinney plaintiffs, however, the lead plaintiffs in the Morganroth complaints [559]*559have been diagnosed with brain cancer, which they attribute to exposure to RFR from the use of their cell phones.7 While the Pinney plaintiffs’ requests for relief were focused on the provision of headsets for use with their cell phones,8 the Mor-ganroth plaintiffs seek compensatory and consequential damages for the lead plaintiffs’ brain injuries. Based on these critical factual differences, I will grant the plaintiffs’ motions to remand the Morgan-roth actions to the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.9

BACKGROUND

The comprehensive federal regulatory scheme governing the licensing and RFR emissions of cell phones was discussed in the court’s earlier remand decision and need not be repeated in full here. See Wireless Tel., 216 F.Supp.2d at 482-87. Most pertinent to this litigation, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has issued regulations which set a maximum localized specific absorption rate (“SAR”) for RFR emissions from cell phones, require cell phone manufacturers to perform routine environmental evaluation for RFR emissions prior to equipment authorization or use, and allow manufacturers to demonstrate compliance by “laboratory measurement techniques or by computational modeling.” See 47 C.F.R. §§ 2.1091, 2.1093.10 These regulations were adopted under authority derived from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321, et seq., as well as the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub.L. No. 104-104, § 704(b), 110 Stat. 56, 152. They are part of a comprehensive regulatory scheme which authorizes the FCC to set technical standards for wireless telecommunications, in order to achieve nationwide compatibility and to foster the growth of wireless services. See Wireless Tel., 216 F.Supp.2d at 483-84.

[560]*560The regulations on RFR emissions were issued by the FCC after careful consideration of the views of various federal health and safety agencies, and they reflect a consensus view of those agencies. See id. at 485-87. Particular weight was given to the views of the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), which has responsibility, under the Electronic Product Radiation Control Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360kk, in consultation with other agencies, for setting standards to protect the public health from electronic products that emit radiation. See Wireless Tel., 216 F.Supp.2d at 485-87; see also In re Procedures for Reviewing Requests for Relief from State and Local Regulations Pursuant to Section 332(c)(7)(B)(v) of the Communications Act of 1934, 13 F.C.C.R. 7,268, at ¶¶ 5, 19, 30-31, 34, 36-39, 111, 114 (1997) (hereinafter “FCC Second Order”); In re Guidelines For Evaluating the Envtl. Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation, 11 F.C.C.R. 15,123, at ¶¶ 2, 18, 28, 49, 62, 71, 73 (1996) (hereinafter “FCC First Order ”); FCC & FDA, Cell Phone Facts: Consumer Info. on Wireless Phones, available at www.fda.gov/cellphones/qa.html.

As in the court’s earlier opinion, it is necessary to review the plaintiffs’ claims before determining whether those claims provide a basis for federal jurisdiction. The Morganroth actions are brought on behalf of individuals (and, in applicable cases, their spouses) who have purchased and used cell phones, have been diagnosed with brain cancer, and now are permanently disabled. (Murray Compl. at ¶ 22-30.) The lead plaintiffs allege that their brain injuries directly resulted from exposure to RFR emissions from their cell phones. (Id.) They seek compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages for their individual injuries. (Id. at ¶¶ 81, 87, 94, 101, 105, 112, 118, 131, 140, 148.) It is important to note that the Morganroth complaints are not brought as class actions.

As in the Pinney actions, the Morgan-roth plaintiffs allege that cell phones cause adverse health effects for users and are a “defective and dangerous” product, conclusions which are at odds with the FCC and FDA’s own factual determinations.11 (Id. at ¶¶ 29-30, 36-38, 42, 55, 90, 92, 110, 117.) They claim that the defendants have manipulated research about the health effects of RFR emissions from cell phones (id. at ¶¶ 43-44, 60, 121(b), 125), misled standards-setting bodies (id. at ¶¶ 45(b)-(e), 124), and sought to “co-opt” federal agencies and mislead and deceive governmental officials (id. at ¶¶ 45, 124). According to the complaints, the defendants have not adequately informed or disclosed to the public the potential adverse health effects of RFR emissions from cell phones (id. at ¶¶ 43, 44(a), 57-58, 60-61, 71, 74(a)-(b), (d), (g)-(h), 98, 103(b), (d)-(e), 121(a)-(c), 127), and have misled the public by representing that FCC-compliant cell phones are safe and cause no adverse health effects (id.

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Bluebook (online)
327 F. Supp. 2d 554, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murray-v-motorola-inc-mdd-2004.