Tears v. Bos. Scientific Corp.

344 F. Supp. 3d 500
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 29, 2018
Docket17 Civ. 9793 (AJN)
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 344 F. Supp. 3d 500 (Tears v. Bos. Scientific Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tears v. Bos. Scientific Corp., 344 F. Supp. 3d 500 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

ALISON J. NATHAN, District Judge

This case arises from Plaintiff Terrance Tears' 2002 implantation with the Greenfield Filter, a vena cava filter manufactured by Defendant Boston Scientific Corporation ("BSC"). Tears seeks compensatory and punitive damages from BSC for alleged negligence, strict products liability, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, negligent misrepresentation, and violation of New York General Business Law ("GBL") Sections 349 and 350. Before the Court is BSC's motion to dismiss the complaint in its entirety for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. For the reasons provided below, BSC's motion to dismiss is GRANTED in full with prejudice.

I. BACKGROUND

The Court takes the following facts from Tears' complaint, from the documents incorporated by reference therein, and from the additional materials appended to BSC's filing.1 See *507Helprin v. Harcourt, Inc. , 277 F.Supp.2d 327, 330 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) ("While the court may not consider matters outside the pleadings, it may consider documents ... incorporated by reference, documents that are integral to the plaintiff's claims, even if not explicitly incorporated by reference, and matters of which judicial notice may be taken.") (internal citations omitted).

The inferior vena cava ("IVC") is a "vein that returns blood to the heart from the lower extremities." Compl. ¶ 29. Blood clots can travel through the IVC from the leg or pelvis into the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, a potentially life threatening condition. To mitigate this risk, individuals susceptible to clotting are often treated with anticoagulants. For individuals "who are at high risk" of clotting "or for whom anticoagulants are contraindicated, doctors may recommend implantation of an IVC filter."Id. ¶ 31. An IVC filter is a medical device that is inserted into the IVC to trap and filter clots from the lower extremities before they reach the lungs. There are two kinds of IVC filters currently on the market: permanent IVC filters, and retrievable IVC filters. Defendant BSC is the manufacturer of the Greenfield IVC Filter, a metal filter designed for permanent implantation "to prevent, among other things, recurrent pulmonary embolism via placement in the vena cava." Id. ¶ 35-36.

On or about October 30, 2002, Tears underwent a surgical implantation of the Greenfield Filter following his hospitalization for "pulmonary embolism related issues." Id. ¶ 60. The Filter was implanted in his "right femoral vein." Id. at 62. In 2015, Tears "began experiencing pains and problems in his chest region," which can be caused by "malfunctioning IVC filters." Id. at 65-66. On January 15, 2016, an abdominal scan revealed that Tears' IVC filter was located at the level of his L3-L4 vertebrae. On October 11, 2017, Tears filed the instant suit against BSC in the Supreme Court of New York, County of New York alleging that the Greenfield Filter is "unreasonably dangerous" and "faulty." Id. ¶¶ 1, 3. According to the complaint, Tears suffers "constant pains in the abdominal region" and is "at risk of suffering from serious health complication[s]," including "the risk of the filter migrating to the other parts of the vena cava, heart, lungs or other organs" as a result of the filter's defect. Id. ¶ 76. The complaint further alleges that BSC "knew its IVC filters were defective in design" and "failed to disclose to physicians, patients, or [to Tears]" the risks associated with permanent implantation. Id. ¶ 69-70.

On December 14, 2017, BSC filed a notice of removal to this Court. Dkt. No. 1. On December 21, 2017, BSC filed a motion to dismiss Tears' Complaint in its entirety. Dkt. No. 5. In response to an Order from the Court, Tears filed a letter on January 18, 2018, announcing its intention to rely on its pleadings rather than take the opportunity to amend. Dkt. No. 14. Tears filed an opposition to the motion to dismiss on January 22, 2018, Dkt. No. 16, and BSC filed its reply on January 29, 2018, Dkt. No. 17. The December 21, 2017 motion to dismiss now before the Court is therefore fully briefed.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

In deciding a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the Court accepts the allegations in the Complaint as true and draws all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party.

*508McCarthy v. Dun & Bradstreet Corp. , 482 F.3d 184, 191 (2d Cir. 2007). To survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must include "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). In other words, "the complaint's factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level, i.e., enough to make the claim plausible." Arista Records, LLC v. Doe 3 , 604 F.3d 110, 120 (2d Cir. 2010) (quoting Twombly , 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 ) (internal citations omitted). "Threadbare recital of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice." Iqbal , 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

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Bluebook (online)
344 F. Supp. 3d 500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tears-v-bos-scientific-corp-ilsd-2018.