United States v. Patridge-Staudinger

287 F.R.D. 651, 2013 WL 147827, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5447
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Washington
DecidedJanuary 14, 2013
DocketNos. CR-12-6043-FVS-1, CR-12-6043-FVS-2
StatusPublished

This text of 287 F.R.D. 651 (United States v. Patridge-Staudinger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Patridge-Staudinger, 287 F.R.D. 651, 2013 WL 147827, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5447 (E.D. Wash. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS

FRED VAN SICKLE, Senior District Judge.

THIS MATTER came before the Court on January 11, 2013, based upon the defendants’ motion to dismiss. Colleen Patridge-Stau-dinger was represented by James E. Egan. Richard A. Flaiz, M.D., was represented by William D. McCool. The government was represented by Alexander C. Ekstrom.

BACKGROUND

A number of allegations are set forth below. The Court has drawn them from the Indictment. The Court expresses no opinion with respect to their accuracy. After all, allegations are just that — allegations. It remains to be seen whether the government can prove any of them.

The government alleges dysport and xeo-min are prescription drugs. They can be injected under a person’s skin in order to treat wrinkles. Colleen Patridge-Staudinger is licensed to engage in the practice of esthetics in the State of Washington. On a number of occasions during 2011 and 2012, she obtained either dysport or xeomin from Richard A. Flaiz, M.D., at his office in the State of Oregon. Acting pursuant to his instructions, she brought the drugs into the State of Washington and injected them into patients in order to eliminate wrinkles.

Dr. Flaiz is licensed to practice medicine in the State of Oregon, but not in the State of Washington. In the government’s opinion, he violated federal law by directing Mrs. Patridge-Staudinger to administer the injections that are described in the Indictment, and she violated federal law by administering them. The government’s opinion is based, in part, upon provisions that are set forth in 21 U.S.C. § 353(b)(1)(C) and 21 U.S.C. § 331(k). It is useful to begin with § 353(b). A drug which is covered by that paragraph “shall be dispensed only ... upon a written prescription of a practitioner licensed by law to administer such drug,----” 21 U.S.C. § 353(b)(1)(C). “The act of dispensing a drug contrary to the provisions of this paragraph shall be deemed to be an act which results in the drug being misbranded while held for sale.” Id. The Eighth Circuit summarized § 353(b)(1)(C) in United States v. Smith, 573 F.3d 639 (8th Cir.2009). “A drug is ‘misbranded,’ ” said the Eighth Circuit, “unless dispensed upon a ‘prescription of a practitioner licensed by law to administer [653]*653such drug.’” Id. at 650 (quoting 21 U.S.C. § 353(b)(1)(C)). The government alleges Dr. Flaiz was not licensed to prescribe the injections that are described in the Indictment. It follows, says the government, that Mrs. Patridge-Staudinger was not authorized to administer them. Consequently, according to the government, Dr. Flaiz and Mrs. Pa-tridge-Staudinger misbranded the injections she administered. Misbranding a drug is unlawful. 21 U.S.C. § 331(k).

On August 14, 2012, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Mrs. Patridge-Stau-dinger and Dr. Flaiz with one count of conspiracy to misbrand prescription drugs, 18 U.S.C. § 371, and four counts of misbranding prescription drugs, 21 U.S.C. § 353(b)(1). The defendants move to dismiss the indictment. They argue the government has misstated the law. According to them, Dr. Flaiz was authorized to supervise Mrs. Patridge-Staudinger in the State of Washington.

RULE 12(b)

The defendants are bringing then-motion to dismiss under Federal Rules of Criminal procedure 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(3)(B). Rule 12(b)(2) states, “A party may raise by pretrial motion any defense, objection, or request that the court can determine without a trial of the general issue.” However, neither Rule 12(b)(2) nor any other Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure authorizes a motion for summary judgment in a criminal case. United States v. Jensen, 93 F.3d 667, 669 (9th Cir.1996) (citing United States v. Critzer, 951 F.2d 306, 307 (11th Cir.1992) (per curiam)). Thus, when a defendant moves to dismiss based upon the government’s alleged inability to prove an element of the charge, a district court must determine whether the issue raised by the defendant’s motion is “entirely segregable from the evidence to be presented at trial.” United States v. Skortt Accountancy Corp., 785 F.2d 1448, 1452 (9th Cir.), (internal punctuation and citations omitted), cert, denied, 478 U.S. 1007, 106 S.Ct. 3301, 92 L.Ed.2d 715 (1986). If resolution of the motion “is substantially founded upon and intertwined with evidence concerning the alleged offense, the motion falls within the province of the ultimate finder of fact and must be deferred.” Id. (internal quotation and citations omitted).

The defendants are also relying upon Rule 12(b)(3). It states in pertinent part, “[A]t any time while the case is pending, the court may hear a claim that the indictment or information fails ... to state an offense.” The Court’s inquiry under Rule 12(b) (3)(B) is “narrow.” United States v. Moore, 563 F.3d 583, 586 (7th Cir.2009). When determining whether an indictment states an offense, a court “is bound by the four corners of the indictment ...” [, and] “must accept the truth of the allegations in the indictment[.]” United States v. Boren, 278 F.3d 911, 914 (9th Cir.2002) (citations omitted). “An indictment fails to state an offense if the specific facts alleged in it ‘fall beyond the scope of the relevant criminal statute, as a matter of statutory interpretation.’ ” United States v. Vitillo, 490 F.3d 314, 321 (3d Cir.2007) (quoting United States v. Panarella, 277 F.3d 678, 685 (3d Cir.2002)).

ANALYSIS

A drug that falls within the scope of § 353(b) “shall be dispensed only ... upon a written prescription of a practitioner licensed by law to administer such drug,____” 21 U.S.C. § 353(b)(1)(C). The preceding provision does not expressly require a practitioner to be licensed in the state in which a regulated drug is administered. Instead, it requires only that he be “licensed by law to administer such drug.” Dr. Flaiz is licensed to practice medicine in Oregon. The government acknowledges he is licensed to prescribe dysport and xeomin injections in that state.

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United States v. Shortt Accountancy Corporation
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United States v. Smith
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State v. Tracy
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State v. Tracy
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United States v. Jensen
93 F.3d 667 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
287 F.R.D. 651, 2013 WL 147827, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-patridge-staudinger-waed-2013.