Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litigation Park v. Chattem, Inc.

227 F.R.D. 553, 2004 WL 3272113
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedNovember 12, 2004
DocketNo. MDL 1407
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 227 F.R.D. 553 (Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litigation Park v. Chattem, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litigation Park v. Chattem, Inc., 227 F.R.D. 553, 2004 WL 3272113 (W.D. Wash. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ROTHSTEIN, District Judge.

I. Introduction

This matter comes before the court on the joint motion of plaintiffs and defendant Chattem, Inc. (“Chattem”), for approval of a proposed Class Action Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement” or “Settlement Agreement”) and for certification of the Settlement class (the “Class”) pursuant to Rule 23(b)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“the Joint Motion”). For the reasons discussed below, the court concludes that the requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 23 have been satisfied, and that the Settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate. Therefore, the court grants the Joint Motion, certifies the Class, and approves the Settlement pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 23(e).

A. Background and Procedural History

The Settlement involves Dexatrim® products containing phenylpropanolamine (“PPA”) alleged to have been ingested on or after December 21, 1998 (“Dexatrim® Products”). Chattem marketed Dexatrim® Products from December 21, 1998,1 until Chattem withdrew the product from the market in November 2000. The withdrawal of PPA-containing products from the market was [556]*556precipitated by Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) concern about the results of a case-control study, the Hemorrhagic Stroke Project (“HSP”), which suggested that the ingestion of PPA might be associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Following publication of the HSP, plaintiffs throughout the United States filed suit against Chattem and the other manufacturers of PPA-containing products, alleging a variety of injuries stemming from the ingestion of PPA. Many of these cases have been removed to federal court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction.

In August 2001, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated and transferred all pending federal PPA litigation to this court as Multidistrict Litigation (“MDL”) No. 1407. Since the creation of MDL 1407, extensive fact discovery has been completed as to many MDL defendants, including Chattem. Federal proceedings have been complemented by extensive activity in state courts, including coordinated proceedings in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas. In addition to overseeing the discovery process, this court has decided issues concerning the admissibility of scientific evidence regarding PPA.2 With the court now in the process of remanding MDL 1407 cases to transferor courts for trial, the PPA claims against Chattem are mature and ripe for settlement.

B. Settlement Negotiations

Beginning in December 2002, Chattem and a subcommittee of the MDL Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (now “Class Counsel”) began initial settlement negotiations. During these preliminary discussions, Chattem and Class Counsel developed the concept of the uniform Dexatrim® Case Scoring System and Matrix (“Matrix”) to value each case. Over the next nine months, counsel refined the Matrix and debated values, often engaging in heated negotiations. Eventually, the parties reached an impasse, and agreed to hire John E. Keefe, a former New Jersey judge, to assist them in reaching settlement. The considerable efforts of Judge Keefe, Chattem, and Class Counsel finally resulted in the parties presenting the court with an executed Memorandum of Understanding on December 18, 2003, and in public announcement of the Settlement by Chattem the following day. Over the next few months, the parties hammered out the remaining details of the Settlement3 and the Settlement Agreement. On April 13, 2004, the parties filed a Motion for Preliminary Approval of the Settlement. In an order dated April 23, 2004, the court preliminarily approved the Settlement pending a fairness hearing, temporarily certified the Class pursuant to Rule 23(b)(3), and authorized notice to be given to the Class.

C. The Settlement

1. The Class

Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the

‘Settlement Class’ shall mean all Dexatrim® Product Users who sustained bodily injury on or after December 21,1998 allegedly as a result of his or her ingestion of a Dexatrim® Product, and their associated Derivative Claimants and Representative Claimants. The Settlement Class specifically includes Dexatrim® Product Users who have or may have claims with respect to injuries not yet manifested, as well as those persons who seek medical monitoring for potential future injuries that have not yet manifested. The Settlement Class shall expressly exclude any person or entity that entered into a settlement with Chattem (which included a release) related to claims arising out of the use of a Dexa[557]*557trim® Product. The Settlement Class shall also expressly exclude any individual (and them associated Derivative Claimants and Representative Claimants) against whom any court has entered judgment or dismissal with prejudice in an action related to a Dexatrim® Product on or before the Preliminary Approval Date, regardless of whether such judgment or dismissal is the subject of a motion for reconsideration, motion to alter, amend or set aside the judgment or similar motion; or an appeal.

Settlement Agreement, § 1.1 (bbb).

2. Notice of Settlement

Chattem and Class Counsel designed a notice procedure with the goal of providing actual notice to all potential members of the class (“Class Members”) whose addresses were known or reasonably could be located, and to provide publication notice to reach potential Class Members whose whereabouts were unknown. To disseminate individual notice where feasible, Chattem’s counsel mailed 504 individual notice packets to known potential claimants. Chattem published advertisements to notify unknown potential Class Members of the existence of the Settlement (the “Summary Notice”). The Summary Notice appeared seven times in USA Today, and once in Parade magazine. In addition, notice was published in 31 regional newspapers between May 24, 2004 and June 22, 2004. The combined national and regional newspaper advertisements reached a readership of roughly 150 million people, and cost over $500,000. In addition to the 504 notice packets initially mailed, the Claims Administrator mailed 496 notice packets to persons who requested them by telephone, mail, or via a website created by the Claims Administrator to facilitate the administration of the Settlement.

3. Main Provisions of the Settlement Agreement

In accordance with the Settlement Agreement, eligible Class Members receive payment from the Class Benefit Fund and may also be eligible to receive payment from an Extraordinary Damages Fund. The Class Benefit Fund provides compensation to each eligible Class Member ranging between $100 and $5,000,000, depending on the type and severity of the injury claimed, the Class Member’s age and other liability and damages factors. Under the Matrix, claims of stroke and non-stroke injuries are treated somewhat differently.

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227 F.R.D. 553, 2004 WL 3272113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phenylpropanolamine-ppa-products-liability-litigation-park-v-chattem-wawd-2004.