Pinson v. Unknown Party

CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedAugust 20, 2019
Docket4:13-cv-02059
StatusUnknown

This text of Pinson v. Unknown Party (Pinson v. Unknown Party) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pinson v. Unknown Party, (D. Ariz. 2019).

Opinion

1 WO 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 8 9 10 IN RE: Bard IVC Filters Products No. MDL 15-02641-PHX-DGC Liability Litigation, 11 SUGGESTION OF REMAND AND 12 TRANSFER ORDER 13 14 15 This multidistrict litigation proceeding (“MDL”) involves personal injury cases 16 brought against Defendants C. R. Bard, Inc. and Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. 17 (collectively, “Bard”). Bard manufactures and markets medical devices, including 18 inferior vena cava (“IVC”) filters. The MDL Plaintiffs have received implants of Bard 19 IVC filters and claim they are defective and have caused Plaintiffs to suffer serious injury 20 or death. 21 The MDL was transferred to this Court in August 2015 when 22 cases had been 22 filed. Doc. 1. More than 8,000 cases had been filed when the MDL closed to new cases 23 on May 31, 2019. Docs. 18079, 18128. Thousands of cases pending in the MDL have 24 settled in principle or are near settlement. See Docs. 16343, 19445, 19798-1, -2. The 25 remaining cases no longer benefit from centralized proceedings and are subject to remand 26 or transfer. 27 The cases listed on Schedule A, which were transferred to this MDL by the United 28 States Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (the “Panel”), should be remanded to the 1 transferor courts pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407(a). The Court therefore provides this 2 Suggestion of Remand to the Panel.1 The cases listed on Schedule B, which were 3 directly filed in this MDL, will be transferred to appropriate districts pursuant to 4 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a). 5 To assist the courts that receive these cases, this order will describe events that 6 have taken place in the MDL. A copy of this order, along with the case files and 7 materials, will be available to courts after remand or transfer. 8 I. Suggestion of Remand. 9 A. Remand Standard. 10 The power to remand MDL cases rests solely with the Panel. 28 U.S.C. § 1407(a); 11 see Lexecon Inc. v. Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, 523 U.S. 26, 28 (1998). 12 The Panel typically relies on the transferee court to suggest when remand should be 13 ordered. J.P.M.L. Rule 10.1(b)(i); see In re Motor Fuel Temperature Sales Practices 14 Litig., No. 07-MD-1840-KHV, 2012 WL 1963350, at *1 (D. Kan. May 30, 2012). 15 Indeed, the Panel “is reluctant to order a remand absent the suggestion of the transferee 16 judge[.]” J.P.M.L. Rule 10.3(a); see In re Regions Morgan Keegan Sec., Derivative & 17 ERISA Litig., No. 2:09-md-2009-SHM, 2013 WL 5614285, at *2 (W.D. Tenn. Feb. 28, 18 2013). The transferee court may suggest remand when cases are “ready for trial, or . . . 19 would no longer benefit from inclusion in the coordinated or consolidated pretrial 20 proceedings.” In re Multi-Piece Rim Prods. Liab. Litig., 464 F. Supp. 969, 975 (J.P.M.L. 21 1979); see In re TMJ Implants Prods. Liab. Litig., 872 F. Supp. 1019, 1038 (D. Minn. 22 1995). 23 B. The Panel Should Remand the Cases Listed on Schedule A. 24 The primary purposes of this MDL – coordinated pretrial discovery and resolution 25 of common issues – have been fulfilled. All common fact and expert discovery has been 26 27 The Court previously suggested the remand of ten “mature” cases that were 1 28 nearly ready for trial when the MDL was formed. Doc. 12534.

-2- 1 completed. The Court has also resolved many Daubert motions and Defendants’ 2 summary judgment motion based on preemption, as well as other summary judgment and 3 in limine motions in the bellwether cases. Three bellwether trials were held, and the 4 parties prepared for a fourth that settled on the eve of trial. As noted, a settlement 5 process is in place. 6 The MDL cases listed on Schedule A are not likely to settle soon and no longer 7 benefit from centralized proceedings. The remaining case-specific issues in these cases 8 are best left to the transferor courts to resolve. The Court therefore suggests that the 9 Panel remand the cases on Schedule A to the transferor courts for further proceedings. 10 See In re TMJ Implants, 872 F. Supp. at 1038 (suggesting remand of cases that no longer 11 benefited from consolidated pretrial proceedings). 12 Defendants raise venue and personal jurisdiction objections in cases in which the 13 transferor district is not where the filter at issue was implanted. See Docs. 19445 at 4-6, 14 19445-4, 19798-3. The Court may not resolve venue issues in cases transferred by the 15 Panel under § 1407(a). See Lexecon, 523 U.S. at 39; Manual for Complex Litigation, 16 Fourth, § 20.132 n.666. And for reasons explained below, the Court finds that personal 17 jurisdiction issues are best resolved by the transferor courts. Defendants’ right to 18 challenge venue and personal jurisdiction upon remand is preserved. 19 II. Transfer Under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a). 20 A. Transfer Standard. 21 Section 1404(a) provides that “[f]or the convenience of parties and witnesses, in 22 the interest of justice, a district court may transfer any civil action to any other district or 23 division where it might have been brought or to any district or division to which all 24 parties have consented.” 25 B. The Direct-Filed Cases Listed on Schedule B Will Be Transferred. 26 Not all MDL cases were transferred to the Court by the Panel. Pursuant to Case 27 Management Order No. 4 (“CMO 4”), many cases were filed directly in the MDL 28 through use of a short form complaint. Doc. 363 at 3 (as amended by Docs. 1108, 1485).

-3- 1 Plaintiffs were required to identify in the short form complaint the district where venue 2 would be proper absent direct filing in the MDL. See id. at 7. CMO 4 provides that, 3 upon the MDL’s closure, each pending direct-filed case shall be transferred pursuant 4 § 1404(a) to the district identified in the short form complaint. Id. at 3. 5 1. Cases Where the Parties Agree to Venue. 6 The parties have provided a list of the direct-filed cases in which they agree to the 7 venue identified in the short form complaint. Doc. 19798-4. The parties also agree that 8 certain other cases should be transferred to the venue where the plaintiff was implanted 9 with the filter and not to the venue identified in the short form complaint. Doc. 19798-5. 10 Pursuant to § 1404(a), the Court will transfer these cases to the agreed-upon districts. See 11 Lifehouse Holdings, LLC v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, No. 13-CV-02161- 12 LHK, 2013 WL 5754381, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 23, 2013) (transferring case where the 13 “second prong of Section 1404 – consent – [was] satisfied”); In re Biomet M2a Magnum 14 Hip Implant Prods. Liab. Litig., No. 3:12-MD-2391, 2018 WL 7683307, at *1 (N.D. Ind. 15 Sept. 6, 2018) (transferring cases under § 1404(a) where they would “no longer benefit 16 from centralized proceedings[] and the remaining case-specific issues are best left to 17 decision by the courts that will try the cases”).2 18 2. Cases Where the Parties Disagree on Venue or Jurisdiction. 19 CMO 4 provides that, prior to transfer, Defendants may object to the district 20 specified in the short form complaint based on venue or personal jurisdiction. Id. at 4. 21 Defendants have identified cases where they intend to raise venue or jurisdiction 22 objections to Plaintiffs’ chosen forums. See Docs. 19445 at 6, 19454-1, 19798-5.

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