Personal Injury Law

Unsettling decision for St. Jude Heart Valve Class Action

By Brian F. LaBovick, Esq.

The courts recently reached an unsettling decision for Plaintiffs involved in the St. Jude Heart Valve Class action when the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a national class action certification in a defective products case. The decision called for each plaintiff to show a link between any reliance on St. Jude Medical Inc.  (Minnesota Supreme Court decision. St. Jude Medical, Inc., Silzone Heart Valve Prods. Liab. Litig, No. 06-3860, slip op. (8th Cir. Apr. 9, 2008).

According to a National Law Journal Article on Law.com, the lawsuit alleged that three years after their 1997 introduction, the St. Jude Medical Silzone heart valves were found to have a defective silver coating that made people sick. Lawsuits were filed that alleged St. Jude Medical was negligent in research and development of the valve and marketed it without proper research.

One has to agree with the plaintiff's attorney Capretz that "This is a very disturbing decision with several major implications", especially for the plaintiffs.

Stay tuned for more information on this court decision.

Full post as published by LaBovick Injury Law Blog on April 15, 2008 (boomark / email).