Ouellette v. Mills

91 F. Supp. 3d 1, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21137, 2015 WL 751760
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maine
DecidedFebruary 23, 2015
DocketNo. 1:13-cv-00347-NT
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 91 F. Supp. 3d 1 (Ouellette v. Mills) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ouellette v. Mills, 91 F. Supp. 3d 1, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21137, 2015 WL 751760 (D. Me. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER ON PARTIES’ COMPETING MOTIONS ON FACIAL PREEMPTION

NANCY TORRESEN, Chief Judge.

Before the Court are the parties’ competing motions for judgment on the plead[3]*3ings pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) (ECF Nos. 46, 57). For the reasons stated below, the Plaintiffs’ motion is GRANTED and the Defendants’ motion is DENIED.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Two licensed Maine pharmacists and three trade organizations representing the interests of Maine pharmacists (the “Plaintiffs”) bring suit against Janet Mills and Richard Rosen, in their official capacities (the “Defendants” or the “State”), pursuant to the Supremacy Clause, U.S. Const, art. VI, cl. 2, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The Plaintiffs claim that the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (the “FDCA”), 21 U.S.C. §§ 301-399Í, preempts certain amendments to the Maine Pharmacy Act (the “MPA”), 32 M.R.S. §§ 13701-13847.

This Court issued an order on the Defendants’ motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), disposing of the Plaintiffs’ Foreign Commerce Clause claim and dismissing the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America from this suit. See Order on Mot. to Dismiss (ECF No. 39). Shortly thereafter, the Plaintiffs moved for summary judgment (ECF No. 46), and the Defendants responded by asking this Court either to deny the motion or continue the matter so they could conduct limited discovery (ECF No. 50). The Plaintiffs countered by asserting that no discovery was necessary to resolve their “purely legal” challenge to the Maine legislation. Pis.’ Summ. J. Reply & Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(d) Opp’n 1, 14 (ECF No. 51).

The Court called a conference of counsel and determined that it could resolve whether the Plaintiffs are entitled to declaratory relief on their facial preemption challenge without discovery. Report of Conf. of Counsel & Order 2 (ECF No. 56).2 The Court also determined that it would treat the Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment as a motion for judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) and disregard any facts that would be properly considered at summary judgment, after the benefit of discovery. Report of Conf. of Counsel & Order 2.3 The Defendants thereafter filed their own cross-motion for judgment on the pleadings. Defs.’ Mem. in Opp’n to Pis.’ Mot. for J. on the Pleadings & Cross-Mot. for J. on the Pleadings (ECF No. 57). [4]*4The Court now resolves the parties’ competing motions on the facial preemption question.4

LEGAL STANDARD

“The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). This standard applies with equal force where parties file cross-motions for summary judgment, in which case the court’s role is to “ ‘determine whether either of the parties deserves judgment as a matter of law on [the] facts that are not disputed.’” Showtime Entm’t, LLC, 769 F.3d at 69 (quoting Wightman v. Springfield Terminal Ry. Co., 100 F.3d 228, 230 (1st Cir.1996)). Because this is a facial challenge to the Maine legislation, and no discovery has taken place, the Court decides this matter by the terms of the relevant statutes, without any information about the effects of the Maine legislation or how it is being enforced. See N.H. Motor Transp. Ass’n, 301 F.Supp.2d at 41.

DISCUSSION

I. The Statutory Background

A.The MPA Amendments

In 2013, the Maine legislature passed, without the Governor’s signature, “An Act To Facilitate the Personal Importation of Prescription Drugs from International Mail Order Prescription Pharmacies.” 2013 Me. Legis. Serv. ch. 373 (S.P.60) (L.D.171) (West) (effective Oct. 9, 2013) (the “MPA Amendments”). The Maine Pharmacy Act generally requires those who “engage in the practice of pharmacy” to be licensed. 32 M.R.S. § 13731(1). The MPA Amendments, which exempt certain entities from the licensing requirement, provide:

B. A licensed retail pharmacy that is located in Canada, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Commonwealth of Australia or New Zealand that meets its country’s statutory and regulatory requirements may export prescription drugs by mail or carrier to a resident of this State for that resident’s personal use. A licensed retail pharmacy described in this paragraph is exempt from licensure under this Act; and
C. An entity that contracts to provide or facilitate the exportation of prescription drugs from a licensed retail pharmacy described in paragraph B may provide or facilitate the provision of prescription drugs from that pharmacy by mail or carrier to a resident of this State for that resident’s personal use. An en[5]*5tity that provides or facilitates the provision of prescription drugs pursuant to this paragraph is exempt from licensure under this Act.

Id.

The MPA Amendments also include a “Consumer Choice Preserved” provision, which states:

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit:
1. Ordering or receiving prescription drugs. An individual who is a resident of the State from ordering or receiving prescription drugs for that individual’s personal use from outside the United States by mail or carrier from a licensed retail pharmacy described in section 18731, subsection 1, paragraph B or an entity described in section 13731, subsection 1, paragraph C; or
2. Dispensing or providing prescription drugs. A licensed retail pharmacy described in section 13731, subsection 1, paragraph B or an entity described in section 13731, subsection 1, paragraph C from dispensing, providing or facilitating the provision of prescription drugs from outside the United States by mail or carrier to a resident of the State for that resident’s personal use.

32 M.R.S. § 13799.

The sponsor of the MPA Amendments explained that because “frequently prescriptions from Canada are far less expensive than those from the United States,” the purpose of the Act was to “expand[ ] the definition of a ‘mail order prescription pharmacy’ under the Maine Pharmacy Act to include an entity located outside of the United States that dispenses prescription medications by mail or carrier from a facility not located in this State to a pharmacy or to a patient who resides in this State.” Testimony from Senator Troy Jackson in Support of L.D. 171, An Act to Facilitate the Licensing of International Mail Order Prescription Pharmacies by the Maine Board of Pharmacy: Hearing on L.D. 171 Before the J.

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91 F. Supp. 3d 1, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21137, 2015 WL 751760, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ouellette-v-mills-med-2015.