Physicians Healthsource, Inc. v. Cephalon, Inc.

340 F. Supp. 3d 445
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 29, 2018
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 12-3753
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 340 F. Supp. 3d 445 (Physicians Healthsource, Inc. v. Cephalon, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Physicians Healthsource, Inc. v. Cephalon, Inc., 340 F. Supp. 3d 445 (E.D. Pa. 2018).

Opinion

Padova, District Judge

Plaintiff, Physicians Healthsource, Inc. ("PHS"), has brought this putative class action pursuant to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (the "TCPA"), as amended by the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005, 47 U.S.C. § 227 (the "JFPA"), asserting that it was damaged by its receipt of two unsolicited advertisements sent to it by facsimile transmission ("fax") on behalf of Cephalon, Inc. in 2009. Before the Court are the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendants Cephalon, Inc., Cephalon Clinical Partners, L.P., and Cephalon Development Corporation (collectively "Cephalon"), and the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendants SciMedica Group, LLC and SciMedica Group Marketing Research and Consulting, LLC (collectively "SciMedica"). For the reasons that follow, we grant both Motions.

I. BACKGROUND

This lawsuit concerns two advertisements that SciMedica faxed, on behalf of Cephalon, to an employee of PHS, Dr. Jose Martinez, in 2009. At that time, PHS employed Dr. Martinez as a primary care physician practicing in the area of pain management. (Martinez Dep. at 13, 15-16.) The first advertisement was faxed by SciMedica to Dr. Martinez on January 16, 2009 and invited Dr. Martinez to a dinner program regarding Amrix, a form of long-acting cyclobenzaprine that is prescribed for musculoskeletal pain. (Cephalon Ex. A; Martinez Dep. at 28.) On August 27, 2009, SciMedica, on behalf of Cephalon, faxed the second advertisement to Dr. Martinez, inviting him to a luncheon program in Las Vegas, Nevada that would include discussions on assessing breakthrough pain ("BTP") and the use of opioids for treating BTP. (Cephalon Ex. B.) Neither of these faxes included an opt-out notice setting forth the manner in which the recipient could ask the sender not to fax any advertisements in the future. (See Cephalon Exs. A, B.)

The Complaint asserts one claim against Defendants for violating the JFPA by sending unsolicited advertisements that fail to contain an opt-out notice, as that statute requires.1 (Compl. ¶¶ 30-39;

*44747 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(C).) PHS seeks to recover its actual monetary losses from these violations or statutory damages of $500.00 for each violation, whichever is greater.2 (See Compl. at 13.) Cephalon argues, in its Motion for Summary Judgment, that it is entitled to the entry of judgment in its favor on Plaintiff's single claim brought pursuant to the JFPA because it had express permission to fax to Plaintiff the two advertisements at issue in this case, so those advertisements were not subject to the JFPA's requirement that unsolicited advertisements contain opt-out notices. SciMedica has adopted the arguments set forth by Cephalon.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

Summary judgment is appropriate "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). An issue is "genuine" if "the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A factual dispute is "material" if it "might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law." Id.

"[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of [the record] which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact." Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Where the nonmoving party bears the burden of proof on a particular issue at trial, the movant's initial Celotex burden can be met simply by "pointing out to the district court" that "there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's case." Id. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548. After the moving party has met its initial burden, the adverse party's response "must support the assertion [that a fact is genuinely disputed] by: (A) citing to particular parts of materials in the record ...; or (B) showing that the materials [that the moving party has] cited do not establish the absence ... of a genuine dispute." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1). Summary judgment is appropriate if the nonmoving party fails to respond with a factual showing "sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party's case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial." Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548. " 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(C). However, where it is the moving party that has the burden of proof at trial "it must show that, on all the essential elements of its case on which it bears the burden of proof, no reasonable jury could find for the non-moving party." A. Natterman & Cie GmbH v. Bayer Corp., 428 F.Supp.2d 253, 257 (E.D. Pa. 2006) (citing In re Bressman, 327 F.3d 229, 237-38 (3d Cir. 2003) ); see also

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Bluebook (online)
340 F. Supp. 3d 445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/physicians-healthsource-inc-v-cephalon-inc-paed-2018.