Williams v. Bayer Corp.
This text of 541 S.W.3d 594 (Williams v. Bayer Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
EDWARD R. ARDINI, JR., JUDGE
Jessica Williams (Williams) brought this cause of action in the Circuit Court of Boone County alleging fourteen separate claims against Bayer Corp. (Bayer) related to its Essure contraceptive device along with a variety of counts against her treating physicians. Bayer filed a Motion to Dismiss on the basis that the claims directed against it were preempted under federal law which was granted by the trial court. Williams now appeals arguing that the trial court erred in dismissing those claims on preemption grounds and in not granting her leave to file an amended petition. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.
Factual and Procedural Background
Williams became pregnant with her fifth child sometime in late 2012. After consulting with her physicians, she made the determination to undergo a tubal ligation in conjunction with the delivery.1 However, in late April of 2013, Williams's physicians determined the umbilical cord had prolapsed around her fetus and she required an immediate caesarian section. Due to the emergency nature of the caesarian section, the tubal ligation was not performed. Following the birth, her physicians recommended Williams consider using Essure as an alternative to tubal ligation. Essure is a medical device manufactured and sold by Bayer that is implanted in a woman's fallopian tube for the purpose of causing inflammation and promoting the growth of scar tissue. This scar tissue blocks the fallopian tube, thereby achieving sterilization. After considering the recommendations of her physicians and reviewing the information provided on the Essure website, Williams agreed to undergo the Essure procedure.
During the procedure to place the Essure device, Williams began to experience severe abdominal pain and requested her physicians stop. As a result, the procedure was abandoned after only one of the two devices was inserted. Williams continued to experience significant pain following the procedure and, after several months, requested her physicians remove the Essure device. An x-ray performed during the attempt to remove the Essure device revealed that it had broken apart and perforated Williams's uterine wall. Consequently, pieces of the Essure device were left in Williams's body. Williams continued to experience pain and underwent further surgery to remove one of her fallopian tubes along with a hysterectomy.
*599On July 29, 2015, Williams filed a petition alleging multiple claims against Bayer as well as additional claims directed at several of her physicians. One month after filing her initial petition, Williams filed an amended petition that included the same causes of action against Bayer. Bayer thereafter filed a Motion to Dismiss arguing, among other things, that all of Williams's claims were expressly or impliedly preempted by federal law. After extensive briefing, the trial court heard oral argument before taking the matter under advisement. On March 17, 2016, the trial court issued an order granting Bayer's Motion to Dismiss finding all of the claims asserted against Bayer were preempted under federal law.2 Williams subsequently filed Plaintiff's Motion to Amend Judgment that included a request for leave to amend her petition along with a proposed Second Amended Petition, which the trial court did not grant. Williams appeals.
Discussion
Williams's First Amended Petition included fourteen counts directed against Bayer: (Count 1) violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), (Count 2) fraudulent misrepresentation, (Count 3) negligent misrepresentation, (Count 4) breach of express warranties, (Count 5) breach of implied warranty of merchantability, (Count 6) negligence per se , (Count 7) strict product liability-defective manufacturing, (Count 8) negligent manufacturing, (Count 9) strict products liability for failure to warn-off-label use, (Count 10) failure to warn-post premarket approval risks, (Count 11) negligent training, (Count 12) negligently supplying a product for use, (Count 16) civil conspiracy, and (Count 17) res ipsa loquitur. The trial court found that each of these claims were expressly or impliedly preempted by the federal Medical Device Amendment of 1976, 21 U.S.C. § 360c, et seq. , and dismissed each with prejudice. Williams's first point on appeal argues that the trial court erred in reaching this conclusion.
We review the granting of a motion to dismiss de novo. Armstrong-Trotwood, LLC v. State Tax Commission ,
Background regarding the Medical Device Amendment of 1976
"The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) has long required FDA approval *600for the introduction of new drugs into the market." Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc. ,
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EDWARD R. ARDINI, JR., JUDGE
Jessica Williams (Williams) brought this cause of action in the Circuit Court of Boone County alleging fourteen separate claims against Bayer Corp. (Bayer) related to its Essure contraceptive device along with a variety of counts against her treating physicians. Bayer filed a Motion to Dismiss on the basis that the claims directed against it were preempted under federal law which was granted by the trial court. Williams now appeals arguing that the trial court erred in dismissing those claims on preemption grounds and in not granting her leave to file an amended petition. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.
Factual and Procedural Background
Williams became pregnant with her fifth child sometime in late 2012. After consulting with her physicians, she made the determination to undergo a tubal ligation in conjunction with the delivery.1 However, in late April of 2013, Williams's physicians determined the umbilical cord had prolapsed around her fetus and she required an immediate caesarian section. Due to the emergency nature of the caesarian section, the tubal ligation was not performed. Following the birth, her physicians recommended Williams consider using Essure as an alternative to tubal ligation. Essure is a medical device manufactured and sold by Bayer that is implanted in a woman's fallopian tube for the purpose of causing inflammation and promoting the growth of scar tissue. This scar tissue blocks the fallopian tube, thereby achieving sterilization. After considering the recommendations of her physicians and reviewing the information provided on the Essure website, Williams agreed to undergo the Essure procedure.
During the procedure to place the Essure device, Williams began to experience severe abdominal pain and requested her physicians stop. As a result, the procedure was abandoned after only one of the two devices was inserted. Williams continued to experience significant pain following the procedure and, after several months, requested her physicians remove the Essure device. An x-ray performed during the attempt to remove the Essure device revealed that it had broken apart and perforated Williams's uterine wall. Consequently, pieces of the Essure device were left in Williams's body. Williams continued to experience pain and underwent further surgery to remove one of her fallopian tubes along with a hysterectomy.
*599On July 29, 2015, Williams filed a petition alleging multiple claims against Bayer as well as additional claims directed at several of her physicians. One month after filing her initial petition, Williams filed an amended petition that included the same causes of action against Bayer. Bayer thereafter filed a Motion to Dismiss arguing, among other things, that all of Williams's claims were expressly or impliedly preempted by federal law. After extensive briefing, the trial court heard oral argument before taking the matter under advisement. On March 17, 2016, the trial court issued an order granting Bayer's Motion to Dismiss finding all of the claims asserted against Bayer were preempted under federal law.2 Williams subsequently filed Plaintiff's Motion to Amend Judgment that included a request for leave to amend her petition along with a proposed Second Amended Petition, which the trial court did not grant. Williams appeals.
Discussion
Williams's First Amended Petition included fourteen counts directed against Bayer: (Count 1) violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), (Count 2) fraudulent misrepresentation, (Count 3) negligent misrepresentation, (Count 4) breach of express warranties, (Count 5) breach of implied warranty of merchantability, (Count 6) negligence per se , (Count 7) strict product liability-defective manufacturing, (Count 8) negligent manufacturing, (Count 9) strict products liability for failure to warn-off-label use, (Count 10) failure to warn-post premarket approval risks, (Count 11) negligent training, (Count 12) negligently supplying a product for use, (Count 16) civil conspiracy, and (Count 17) res ipsa loquitur. The trial court found that each of these claims were expressly or impliedly preempted by the federal Medical Device Amendment of 1976, 21 U.S.C. § 360c, et seq. , and dismissed each with prejudice. Williams's first point on appeal argues that the trial court erred in reaching this conclusion.
We review the granting of a motion to dismiss de novo. Armstrong-Trotwood, LLC v. State Tax Commission ,
Background regarding the Medical Device Amendment of 1976
"The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) has long required FDA approval *600for the introduction of new drugs into the market." Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc. ,
Under the MDA, medical devices are divided into one of three classes. "Devices that present no unreasonable risk of illness or injury are designated Class I and are subject only to minimal regulation by 'general controls.' " Lohr ,
Class III devices are subject to the highest level of scrutiny under the MDA.
Express Federal Preemption
The MDA includes an express preemption provision that provides:
no State or political subdivision of a state may establish or continue in effect with respect to a device intended for human use any requirement-*601(1) which is different from, or in addition to, any requirement applicable under this chapter to the device, and
(2) which relates to the safety or effectiveness of the device or to any other matter included in a requirement applicable to the device under this chapter.
21 U.S.C. § 360k(a) ;
However, the Supreme Court's Riegel decision also specifically found that not all state law claims would be preempted under the MDA. Riegel ,
Implied Federal Preemption
In addition to expressly preempting certain state law claims, the United States Supreme Court has also found that the MDA implicitly preempts some claims. The MDA states that all actions to enforce FDA requirements "shall be by and in the name of the United States."
When the Supreme Court's decisions of Riegel and Buckman are read together, *602they "create a narrow gap through which a plaintiff's state-law claim must fit" in order to fully avoid preemption. In re Medtronic, Inc., Sprint Fidelis Leads Products Liability Litigation ,
Count 1-Missouri Merchandising Practices Act
In her first count, Williams alleges that Bayer violated the MMPA by making several representations on its website concerning the Essure device that she argues were false or deceptive.4 In order to determine if this claim is expressly preempted, we must first look to see if the FDA has established requirements applicable to Essure. In Riegel , the Supreme Court recognized that specifications listed in a premarket approval of a Class III medical device constituted federal requirements applicable to that device. Riegel ,
As part of the premarket approval process, the FDA examines a device's proposed labeling to ensure that it is neither false nor misleading.
We note that other courts have considered claims raised on nearly identical grounds regarding the Essure device and have reached the same conclusion we reach now. See , e.g., McLaughlin v. Bayer Corporation , No. 14-7315,
Counts 2 and 3-Fraudulent Misrepresentation and Negligent Misrepresentation
Williams's second and third counts are nearly identical to her first. She relies on the same statements from Bayer's promotional website for Essure and asserts Bayer knew or should have known these statements to be false. As a result, she argues that Bayer's marketing material constituted either fraudulent or negligent misrepresentations. Our analysis of these claims remains unchanged from the one set forth in the discussion of Williams's MMPA claim. The statements of which she complains were functionally equivalent to those in the Essure labeling approved by the FDA. To find that Bayer made fraudulent or negligent misrepresentations through the making of these statements would require a finding contrary to that reached by the FDA and would consequently impose requirements "different from, or in addition to," those set during the premarket approval process. Riegel ,
Count 4-Breach of Express Warranties
The fourth count of Williams's First Amended Petition alleges that Bayer breached express warranties made to Williams in connection with her purchase of the Essure device. However, the warranties Williams refers to are the same statements that formed the basis for her claims of fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation as well as her claim for violation of the MMPA. Thus, while this claim may ostensibly appear different to her first three claims, we find it to be identical and consequently reach the same result. The warranties are substantially similar to the statements included in Essure's labeling that were approved by the FDA. To hold that the Essure device did not conform to these statements would second-guess the FDA's judgment, a result that the express preemption provision of the MDA prevents.7 See Riegel ,
Count 5-Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability
Williams's fifth count alleges that the Essure device is not fit for the ordinary purpose for which it is sold (insertion into a woman's fallopian tubes to cause sterility), thus breaching the implied warranty of merchantability. Such a claim appears to be expressly preempted on its face as it directly contradicts the FDA's determination that Essure is a safe and effective means of birth control and thus would expose Bayer to liability "notwithstanding compliance with relevant federal requirements." Riegel ,
While a claim alleging damages arising directly as a result of a medical device manufacturer's failure to adhere to MDA reporting requirements may avoid preemption, as discussed in Count six, the same is not true for a claim that would effectively revoke FDA approval of a device. Therefore, the trial court did not err in finding Williams's fifth claim was preempted.
Count 6-Negligence Per Se
The sixth count of Williams's First Amended Petition is brought under a negligence per se theory. There are four elements to a claim of negligence per se under Missouri law: "(1) the defendant violated a statute or regulation; (2) the injured plaintiff was a member of the class of persons intended to be protected by the statute or regulation; (3) the injury complained of was the kind the statute or regulation was designed to prevent; and (4) the violation of the statute or regulation was the proximate cause of the injury." Hente v. 21st Century Centennial Insurance Co. ,
Bayer argues that even if Williams's claim is not expressly preempted, it is still subject to implied preemption under the United States Supreme Court's Buckman decision. Buckman concerned a plaintiff who attempted to bring a state law fraud claim based on purported misrepresentations made to the FDA by a consulting firm working on behalf of a device manufacturer seeking approval for orthopedic bone screws. Buckman ,
Once again we note that several other courts have considered claims that are nearly identical to the one now being raised by Williams and have reached conclusions consistent with our own. See Hughes v. Boston Scientific Corp. ,
In order to prevail on her claim, Williams must still prove all four elements of a claim for negligence per se under Missouri law. This includes proving that "the violation of the statute or regulation was the proximate cause of the injury." Hente ,
Counts 7 and 8-Strict Products Liability-Defective Manufacturing and Negligent Manufacturing
Williams's seventh count asserts a claim for strict product liability by arguing that the Essure device implanted in her had been defectively manufactured and was thus in an unreasonably dangerous and defective condition at the time of use. Specifically, she claims that her Essure *607device was manufactured using "improper and nonconforming material" in violation of the Essure PMA requirements and that Bayer violated the FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) in a number of ways with regard to the standards employed at its manufacturing facilities. Williams's eighth count claims that Bayer breached its duty of reasonable care in manufacturing her Essure device for the same reasons. Due to the similarity of these two counts, we consider them together.
Because the express preemption provision of the MDA prohibits States from enforcing requirements "different from, or in addition to," those approved by the FDA, Williams's claims may only proceed if she alleges specific manufacturing requirements imposed by the FDA that Bayer failed to adhere to. Riegel ,
Having determined that Williams's claims are not expressly preempted, we now turn to the question of implied preemption. To escape implied preemption, Williams must allege that Bayer's actions in violation of the Essure PMA or CGMPs were sufficient to establish a claim under Missouri law that exists independent of the federal requirements. Stated differently, she cannot simply stand on the argument that her device was not manufactured in conformance with the Essure PMA or CGMPs. See *608De La Paz ,
We understand Williams's claims to be that Bayer's violation of the Essure PMA or CGMPs are what caused her device to break apart. A claim that the materials or methods used to manufacture a product caused it to break apart in an unintended manner when put to its reasonably anticipated use (thereby causing injury to a consumer) is sufficient to give rise to a cause of action under Missouri law independent of any federal regulation. See
Count 9-Strict Products Liability for Failure to Warn-Off-Label Use9
Williams's ninth count alleges that her physicians' attempt to remove the Essure device after it had been implanted constituted an "off-label use" of the device and that Bayer did not provide adequate warnings regarding the risks associated with this "off-label use." This claim must fail as a matter of law. The term "off-label use" refers to the "use of a device for some other purpose than that for which it has been approved by the FDA." Buckman ,
Count 10-Failure to Warn-Post PMA Risks
Williams's tenth count claims that Bayer failed to either provide additional warnings in the Essure labeling or else remove Essure from the market after receiving reports regarding adverse side effects it had allegedly received after the device was granted premarket approval. This claim is expressly preempted because there is no parallel requirement under the MDA for a device manufacturer to either include additional warnings for potential users or else remove a device from the market due to adverse side effects discovered after receiving premarket approval, meaning Williams's claim would necessarily impose requirements "different than, or in addition to," those set by the MDA.10 Riegel ,
Count 11-Negligent Training
The eleventh count in Williams's First Amended Petition claims that Bayer was negligent in training her treating physicians regarding the proper use of the Essure device and related hysteroscopic equipment used during the placement of the device. She argues that Bayer voluntarily undertook to train her physicians, thus creating a common law duty that existed independent of the protections afforded by the Essure PMA. Bayer responds by alleging that the FDA specifically approved Essure's physician training requirements as part of the PMA process and that Williams's claims are expressly preempted in light of those approved training *610requirements. We agree with Bayer's arguments in as far as they relate to claims that it failed to provide training beyond what was approved during the PMA process and set forth in the Essure labeling.11 Such claims would be establishing requirements that were "different from, or in addition to," those set by the Essure PMA, and would thus be expressly preempted. See Riegel ,
Williams's petition alleges that Bayer breached the duty it owed to train Williams's physicians in three ways. First, Williams alleges that Bayer negligently provided training to her physicians regarding the placement of the Essure micro-inserts and that the training it gave was different from that required by the FDA approved "Physician's Training Manual." Because this alleged breach claims the training provided by Bayer deviated from the FDA approved training manual, it is not expressly preempted. See Riegel ,
Next, Williams argues that Bayer breached its duty to properly train her physicians by failing to supervise her placement procedure. Unlike the previously *611asserted breach, this argument does not arise out of training Bayer allegedly provided, but instead asserts Bayer was negligent for failing to train Williams's treating physicians on matters beyond what the FDA required. Nothing in the FDA approved training requirements necessitates that each placement procedure be supervised by Bayer. Therefore this claim would effectively add a requirement that was "different than, or in addition to," those set by the FDA and is thus expressly preempted. Riegel ,
Finally, Williams contends that Bayer breached its duty by failing to train her physicians in the use of the hysteroscopic equipment it supplied to them. Much as with the asserted breach for failure to supervise, this claim rests not on the training Bayer provided but on what Williams alleges Bayer failed to provide. Further, while the FDA approved training requirements do caution that the device is only to be used by knowledgeable hysterocopists, we find nothing to suggest that Bayer was the one required to provide such training. McLaughlin,
The trial court did not err in finding Williams's eleventh count was expressly preempted to the extent that she alleges a breach of the duty to train based on a failure to supervise her placement procedure and a failure to train her treating physicians to use the hysteroscopic equipment supplied by Bayer. The trial court did err in finding Williams's eleventh count was preempted to the extent that she claims Bayer failed to use reasonable care when training her physicians in a manner different from what was approved by the FDA as set forth in the "Physician's Training Manual."
Count 12-Negligently Supplying a Product for Use
In count twelve, Williams claims that Bayer negligently supplied Williams's physicians with defective surgical equipment, such as hysteroscopes,13 for use in inserting the Essure device. Unfortunately, it is unclear from Williams's petition the extent to which the surgical devices she now alleges to be defective would be considered entirely separate from the Essure device or instead were a component of the Essure system. A claim that surgical equipment that is part of the Essure system-and consequently reviewed and approved through the Essure PMA process-was defective would be preempted because it would impose requirements "different from, or in addition to," those set by the FDA. See Riegel ,
*612Therefore, we find that the trial court erred in concluding Williams's claim is fully preempted and she may proceed with her claim to the extent that it relates to surgical instruments that did not receive FDA approval as part of the Essure PMA.14
Count 16-Civil Conspiracy
The sixteenth count raised in Williams's First Amended Petition alleges a claim for civil conspiracy against all of the named defendants incorporating all of the previously discussed counts. Missouri law defines a civil conspiracy as "an agreement between at least two persons to do an unlawful act, or to use unlawful means to do an act which is lawful." Hibbs v. Berger ,
We presume the trial court found this claim to be preempted owing to the fact that it found all of Williams's previous claims directed against Bayer to be preempted. See , e.g., Timberlake v. Synthes Spine, Inc. , No. V-08-4,
Count 17-Res Ipsa Loquitur
Williams's seventeenth count raises a general negligence claim that relies on the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. "The doctrine of res ipsa loquitur is 'a rule of evidence that permits a jury to infer from circumstantial evidence that the defendant is negligent without requiring that the plaintiff prove defendant's specific negligence.' " State ex rel. GS Tech. Operating Co., Inc. v. Public Service Commission of State of Mo. ,
Williams seeks to address this problem by arguing that use of the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur should still be permitted if it can be demonstrated that the events in question only occur because of wrongful conduct not insulated by preemption (i.e. manufacturing that violates MDA requirements). We need not determine the validity of this argument however, as we find that Williams's petition does not allege facts to support such a conclusion. Nothing in Williams's petition can be read as arguing that her injuries could only have arisen as a result of a MDA requirement violation. On the contrary, the FDA approved labeling for Essure indicated that part of it may break off during insertion and that it might puncture the fallopian tubes, which means that breakage of the Essure device is clearly considered a potential risk even when manufactured correctly. Thus, res ipsa loquitur is inapplicable regardless of whether we were to accept Williams's argument. Williams's seventeenth count is expressly preempted.
Denial of Williams's Request for Leave to Amend her Petition
Williams responded to the trial court's granting of Bayer's Motion to Dismiss by filing a Motion to Amend Judgment and request for leave to file a Second Amended Petition. In her second point raised on appeal, Williams argues that the trial court erred in not granting the request for leave to amend her petition included in the Motion to Amend Judgment.
"The trial court is vested with broad discretion to grant leave to amend the pleadings at any stage of the proceedings." Robinson v. City of Kansas City ,
Because we have determined that the trial court erred in finding Williams's sixth, seventh, eighth, and twelfth counts, as well as portions of her eleventh and sixteenth counts, were preempted by federal law, we need not address her contention that the trial court abused its discretion in not permitting her to amend these claims. See Martin v. City of Washington ,
In addition, a careful review of Williams's proposed Second Amended Petition reveals that the amended allegations would not have cured the preemption issues related to her remaining claims. Therefore, we need not further address the trial court's refusal to grant Williams leave to file the Second Amended Petition as she suffered no prejudice from the trial court's action. See , e.g., Bratt v. Cohn ,
Conclusion
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed with regard to the dismissal of counts one, two, three, four, five, nine, ten, and seventeen of Williams's First Amended Petition, as well as the denial of Williams's request for leave to file a Second Amended Petition. The judgment of the trial court is further affirmed with regard to count eleven, only to the extent that it alleges breach of duty to train based on a failure to supervise Williams's placement procedure and failure to train her treating physicians to use the hysteroscopy equipment supplied by Bayer, and count sixteen to the extent that it alleges a civil conspiracy based on any of the aforementioned preempted claims as the underlying unlawful act. The trial court's decision with regard to Williams's sixth, seventh, eighth, and twelfth counts, as well as the remaining portion of her eleventh and sixteenth counts, are reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
All concur.
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