Rosbeck v. Corin Group, PLC

140 F. Supp. 3d 197, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145621, 2015 WL 6472249
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedOctober 27, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 15-12954-LTS
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 140 F. Supp. 3d 197 (Rosbeck v. Corin Group, PLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosbeck v. Corin Group, PLC, 140 F. Supp. 3d 197, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145621, 2015 WL 6472249 (D. Mass. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REMAND ACTION TO SUFFOLK SUPERIOR COURT

Leo T. Sorokin, United States District Judge

I. Introduction

Plaintiffs Peter and Karen Rosbeck (collectively “The Rosbeeks”) filed a Complaint in Suffolk Superior Court stemming from complications following Mr. Rosbeck’s hip resurfacing surgery. The Rosbecks have sued four defendants: Corin Group PLC (“Corin Group”); Corin USA Limited, Inc. (“Corin USA”); Howmedica Osteonies Corporation (“Howmedica”); and Brigham and Women’s Health Care, Inc. (“BWH”). Doc No. 1-6. Cofin Group and Corin USA (collectively “Corin”) timely removed the case to this Court. Doc. No. 1. Howmedica consented to the removal. Doc. No. 3.1 The Rosbeeks then filed this Motion to Remand Action to Suffolk Superior Court. Doc. No. 19. Corin and Howmedica responded to the motion, arguing in both the Notice of Removal and their Opposition papers that the Rosbeeks fraudulently joined BWH to the action to defeat diversity, meaning the Court has jurisdiction. Doc. No. 24.2 After careful review of the briefs and the parties’ arguments at the Motion' Hearing, see Doc. No. 29 (scheduling a hearing for this motion), for the reasons set forth below, the Court ALLOWS the Rosbeeks’ motion and remands this case to Suffolk Superior Court. ■

II. Facts

As the Court deals with a question of fraudulent joinder, it draws this recita[201]*201tion of alleged facts primarily from the Rosbecks’ complaint. Cf. Universal Truck & Equipment Co., Inc. v. Southworth-Milton, Inc., 765 F.3d 103, 108 (1st Cir.2014) (“[I]t is generally recognized that, under the doctrine of fraudulent joinder, removal is not defeated by the joinder of a non-diverse defendant where there is no reasonable possibility that the state’s highest court would find that the complaint states a cause of action upon which relief may be granted against the non-divérse defendant.”) (emphasis added). However, when necessary, the Court looks to “affidavits and other materials that bear on the question of whether there is a reasonable basis for joinder of a defendant.” In re Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Prods. Liab. Litig., 76 F.Supp.3d 321, 333 (D.Mass.2015).

In 2008, Mr. Rosbeck had hip resurfacing surgery at BWH, a Boston hospital. Doc. No. 1-6 ¶ 6.3 Surgeons' inserted a Cormet 2000 hip resurfacing system (“Cor-met System”). Id. The system included a Cormet Cup 570-06-054 and a Cormet Head 571-05-048. Id. Corin and Howmedi-ca designed, developed, tested, distributed, and sold those devices. Id. Corin is “a corporation existing under the laws of the United Kingdom with its principál place of business in the United Kingdom.” Doc. No. 1 ¶ 8. Howmedica is “a corporation existing under the laws of the state of New Jersey, with its principal place of business in New Jersey.” Id. ¶ 9. The FDA granted the Cormet System, a class III medical device, premarket approval (“PMA”). Doc. No. 1-6 ¶ 9. The FDA granted PMA provided that each Cormet System was in compliance with a variety of manufacturing requirements. Id. ¶ 9a. These requirements dealt with features such as the permissible materials for various parts of the Cormet System, and the dimensions of each of the parts. Id. ¶ 9. These standards are known as the “Approved Design Standards.” Id. ¶' 9i.

To ensure compliance with the Approved Design Standards, “[dlefendants use hip simulator tests.” Id. ¶ 9k. These tests use a synthetic fluid to mimic the synovial fluids that the body creates to lubricate joints, such as the hip, whenever joints rub together. Id. ¶ 91, Essentially, the tests involves, 1) lubricating the Cormet System with the synthetic fluid (as the body does when joints begin to rub together); 2) prompt the components of the Cormet System to rub together, “like a normal hip joint would;” and 3) examine the Cormet System to see if it suffered impermissible wear from the.joint friction. Id. ¶ 9m. These tests used more synthetic fluid than the body naturally releases, “creating an unrealistically thick layer of fluid that separates the metal surfaces and reduces the abrasion between them in the testing environment.” Id. ¶ 9p. This enables certain Cormet. Systems not in compliance with the Approved Design Standards to nevertheless pass the test. Id. ¶ 9q.

Mr. Rosbeck’s body developed an extensive rash in April 2010. Id. ¶ 6. He began experiencing hip pain, “depression, severe tinnitus and ‘brain fog,’” conditions that “substantially affected his ability to work and. interfered with every aspect of his life.” Id. He received a blood test in August 2011, which indicated high- levels of chromium and cobalt. Id. ¶ 7. After multiple years of uncertainty over the cause of his sufferings., “in June 2013, Mr. Rosbeck underwent revision surgery,” and “[t]he operative reported indicate[d] that ‘the resurfacing unit had done some significant [202]*202damage to, the neck of the femur.’ ” Id. 11 7. The system implanted into Mr. Rosbeck “could not withstand ordinary wear and tear, causing extremely elevated levels of cobalt and chromium ions to be released into.his body and causing [Mr. Rosbeck’s] medical problems, injures, and damages.” Id. ¶ 20(a)(ix); see id. ¶¶ 21, 23. After this revision surgery, “Mr. Rosbeck’s condition has improved and he has been able to return to a more healthy and productive lifestyle.” Id. ¶ 7. Nevertheless, the entire episode inflicted Mr. Rosbeck with medical expenses, “years of debilitating physical and mental pain and anguish,” millions of dollars of lost income, and a need for further “painful and invasive” medical procedures. Id. ¶ 25.

On April 29, 2015, the Rosbecks filed this suit in Suffolk Superior Court. Id. at 22. Mr, Rosbeck pled claims of negligence, breach of warranty, and unfair and deceptive trade practices under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A against Corin and Howmedi-ca, and breach of warranty claims against BWH. Id. ¶¶ 28, 32, 42. Mrs. Rosbeck alleges loss of consortium against all defendants. Id. ¶¶ 30, 45. Corin removed the case to this Court on July 15, 2014. Doc. No. 1.

III. Legal Standard

In Universal Truck, the First Circuit observed that “under the doctrine of fraudulent joinder, removal is not defeated by the joinder of a non-diverse defendant where there is no reasonable possibility that the state’s highest court would find that the complaint states a cause of action upon which relief may be granted against the non-diverse defendant.” 765 F.3d at 108.4 Universal Truck does not define what exactly'Constitutes a reasonable possibility. As another circuit has observed, “fraudulent joinder ... is rather easily defined, [but] it is much more difficult to] appl[y].” Filla v. Norfolk S. Ry. Co., 336 F.3d 806, 809 (8th Cir.2003)).

Clearly, if existing state law squarely precludes a plaintiffs claim against a non-diverse defendant, and such deficiency is “apparent from the face of the original complaint,” the nondiverse defendant is fraudulently joined. See Universal Truck, 765 F.3d at 108 (finding fraudulent joinder when existing state law barred the claim); see also McCabe v. Gen. Foods Corp., 811 F.2d 1336

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Bluebook (online)
140 F. Supp. 3d 197, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145621, 2015 WL 6472249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosbeck-v-corin-group-plc-mad-2015.