In re Genetically Modified Rice Litigation

Decision Date09 October 2009
Docket NumberCase No. 406MD1811 CDP.
PartiesIn re GENETICALLY MODIFIED RICE LITIGATION.
CourtU.S. District Court — Eastern District of Missouri

Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr., Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, St. Louis, MO, pro se.

J. Michael Ponder, Phillip J. Barkett, Jr., Cook and Barkett, Cape Girardeau, MO, Don M. Downing, Thomas K. Neill, Jason D. Sapp, Gretchen Garrison, Gray and Ritter, P.C, Jerome J. Schlichter, Matthew H. Armstrong, Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, St. Louis, MO, Jim S. Green, Sikeston, MO, Adam J. Levitt, Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLC, Chicago, IL, Stacey T. Kelly, Wolf Haldenstein Adler, Deborah Clark-Weintraub, Joe Whatley, Jr., Whatley and Drake, New York, NY, Alton C. Todd, Law Firm of Alton C. Todd, Friendswood, TX, Martin J. Phipps, Goldman and Pennebaker, P.C., San Antonio, TX, Scott A. Powell, James J. Thompson, Jr., Hare and Wynn, LLP, Adam P. Plant, Whatley and Drake, Birmingham, AL, Jennifer Hoekstra, John R. Whaley, Richard J. Arsenault, Neblett and Beard, Benjamin Eric Crooker, Raymond L. Brown, Jr., Gold and Weems, Alexandria, LA, Darrin Lavell Williams, J. Allen Carney, Joseph Henry Bates, III, T. Brent Walker, Hank Bates, Cauley and Bowman, Christopher D. Jennings, John G. Emerson, Scott E. Poynter, Emerson Poynter LLP, Jack Thomas Patterson, II, Patton and Roberts, Jeremy Y. Hutchinson, Patton and Roberts, John S. Cherry, Jr., Perry Lee Wilson, William H. Edwards, Jr., Benjamin K. Pollitzer, Cynthia W. Kolb Barber and McCaskill, Alex T. Gray, Mitchell and Williams, Michael L. Roberts, Richard Lee Quintus, Stephanie Egner, Roberts Law Firm, P.A., John Paul Byrd, Hare and Wynn, Debra K. Brown, John P. Perkins, III, Steven T. Shults, Shults Law Firm LLP, Charles A. Banks, Banks Law Firm, PLLC, Little Rock, AR, James C. Wyly, Sean Fletcher Rommel, Wyly-Rommel, PLLC, D. Matt Keil, Attorney at Law, Texarkana, TX, Dawn Barrios, Bruce S. Kingsdorf, Barrios and Kingsdorf, Arthur Mahony Murray, Jessica W. Hayes, Nicole Anne Ieyoub-Murray, Stephen B. Murray, Stephen B. Murray, Jr., Murray Law Firm, Lawrence S. Kullman, Paul M. Sterbcow, Lewis and Kullman, New Orleans, LA, Matthew E. Lundy, Hunter W. Lundy, Lundy and Lundy, L.L.P., Barry A. Roach, Michael K. Cox, Cox and Cox, Lake Charles, LA, Jeffrey M. Bassett, Patrick C. Morrow, Morrow and Morrow, Opelousas, LA, Christopher K. Jones, Keogh and Cox, Kirk A. Guidry, Due' Price, Phillip Bohrer, Scott Earl Brady, Bohrer Law Firm, John Jewell Pace, Baton Rouge, LA, Vance R. Andrus, Andrus and Boudreaux, Marcus Lee Fontenot, Becker & Associates, A.P.L.C., Kenneth W. DeJean, Law Office of Kenneth W. Dejean, Lafayette, LA, William S. Neblett, Neblett and Beard, Alexandria, LA, Stuart Halkett McCluer, McCulley McCluer PLLC, Oxford, MS, Andrew K. York, William B. Chaney, Charles Sartain, Michael C. Kelsheimer, William J. French, Looper and Reed, Dallas, TX, Michael Kent Rose, Raymond Lyn Stevens, Stevens and Baldo, Richard L. Coffman, Coffman Law Firm, Beaumont, TX, Donald Haskell Beskind, Twiggs and Beskind, Raleigh, NC, Floyd R. Gilliland, Jr., Nix Holtsford Gilliland Higgins & Hitson, P.C, Janie S. Gilliland, Andy D. Birchfield, Jr., P. Leigh O'Dell, Beasley and Allen, Montgomery, AL, Lynn W. Jinks, III, Nathan A. Dickson, II, Jinks and Daniel, Union Springs, AL, James L. Reed, Jr., Looper and Reed, Shelly A. Sanford, Sanford Pinedo LLP, Richard E. Norman, Crowley, Douglas, and Norman, Houston, TX, Ronald Brooks Collins, Duckett and Bouligny, El Campo, TX, Russell K. Zaunbrecher, Scott A. Stefanski, Edwards and Stefanski, Crowley, LA, Calvin C. Fayard, Jr., D. Blayne Honeycutt, Fayard & Honeycutt, Denham Springs, LA, Timmy J. Fontenot, Mamou, LA, Patrick W. Pendley, Pendley and Braudin, Plaquemine, LA, Ethan L. Shaw, John P. Cowart, Moore and Landrey LLP, Austin, TX, Daniel N. Gallucci, Dianne M. Nast, Joseph F. Roda, Roda and Nast, P.C., Lancaster, PA, Daniel E. Gustafson, Gustafson Gluek PLLC, Minneapolis, MN, Donald K. Carroll, Oak Grove, LA, Grant L. Davis, Shawn G. Foster, Davis and Bethune, Kansas City, MO, John Carlton Laird, Johnny E. Dollar, Dollar and Laird, Monroe, LA, Andrew T. Dulaney, Joseph Ratcliff Dulaney, Dulaney Law Firm, LLP, Tunica, MS, Warren B. Bell, Andrew M.W. Westerfield, Tom Janoush, Westerfield & Janoush, Cleveland, MS, Jerry Kelly, Kelly Law Firm, Carlisle, AR, R. Margaret Dobson, Dobson Law Firm, P.A., Sheridan, AR, Jon A. Swartzfager, Jon A. Swartzfager, Laurel, MS, Justin G. Witkin, Aylstock and Witkin, Gulf Breeze, FL, Raymond R. Abramson, Law Offices of Raymond R. Abramson, Clarendon, AR, Ralph E. Chapman, Chapman And Lewis, Clarksdale, MS, David D. Tyler, Jim Lyons, Lyons and Emerson, P.L.C., Jonesboro, AR, for Plaintiffs.

Terry R. Lueckenhoff, Fox Galvin, LLC, Christopher M. Hohn, Matthew A. Braunel, David B. Jinkins, John R. Musgrave, Thompson Coburn, LLP, Thomas M. Buckley, Buckley And Buckley, L.L.C., St. Louis, MO, Charles P. Blanchard, Corrinne A. Morrison, John F. Olinde, Robert S. Rooth, Chaffe and McCall, New Orleans, LA, Charles J. Rother, Cristina K. Lunders, Fulbright and Jaworski, L.L.P., Robert David Arredondo, Manning and

Gosda, Charles W. Schwartz, Skadden and Arps, John D. Wittenmyer, Leboeuf & Wittenmyer, P.C., Houston, TX, Douglas J. Gunn, Elizabeth M. Gates, J. Collins Wohner, Jr., J. Grant Sellers, Joseph Jason Stroble, Lindy D. Brown, Molly Mitchell Walker, P. N. Harkins, III, William F. Goodman, III, Watkins and Eager PLLC, Jackson, MS, Douglas W. Poole, Galveston, TX, Edwin L. Lowther, Jr., Wright and Lindsey, Little Rock, AR, Eric R. Olson, Glen E. Summers, Jameson R. Jones, John M. Hughes, Sundeep K. Addy, Bartlit and Beck, LLP, Denver, CO, Georgia Alexakis, Katherine G. Minarik, Lester C. Houtz, Mark E. Ferguson, Martha M. Pacold, Stephen Cowen, Bartlit and Beck, Chicago, IL, Richard W. Ellis, Stephen C. Keadey, Ellis and Winters LLP, Raleigh, NC, Terry O. Tottenham, Fulbright and Jaworski, L.L.P., Austin, TX, Pamela R. Mascari, Vance A. Gibbs, Kean and Miller, Thomas R. Peak, Taylor and Porter, LLP, Baton Rouge, LA, James David Bradbury, Fort Worth, TX, Richard Lusby, Roger McNeil, Womack and Landis, P.A., Jonesboro, AR, for Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

CATHERINE D. PERRY, District Judge.

The parties have filed a number of motions for summary judgment and to exclude or limit expert testimony. This multi-district litigation relates to the claims of U.S. long-grain rice producers, and others in the rice business, who allege that certain defendants contaminated the U.S. rice supply with non-approved genetically modified strains of rice. The first of a series of bellwether trials will begin shortly; the first trial involves Missouri farmer plaintiffs. Although the motions now before me relate to the claims of both Missouri and Arkansas plaintiffs, this order rules on only the portions of the motions directed to the claims of the Missouri plaintiffs. I will rule on the motions directed to the claims of the Arkansas plaintiffs in a separate order.

For the reasons that follow, I will grant defendants' motions for summary judgment on plaintiffs' claims under the North Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act and on plaintiffs' claims for public nuisance and negligence per se. I will grant plaintiffs' motions for summary judgment directed to certain affirmative defenses. I have determined as a matter of law that the regulations under the Plant Protection Act do not allow for low level or adventitious presence of regulated genetically modified rice in the commercial rice supply, and so I will not allow any of defendants' expert witnesses to opine to the contrary. I have limited the testimony of various expert witnesses in minor ways. Otherwise, I have denied the remaining motions.

I. Background

In August of 2006 the United States Department of Agriculture announced that trace amounts of LLRICE 601, a genetically modified rice strain, had been detected in the U.S. long-grain rice supply. LLRICE 601, and a related seed, LLRICE 604, were developed by Bayer CropScience,1 and designed to be resistant to a Bayer herbicide, LibertyLink. Bayer and its corporate predecessors developed LLRICE through research in Europe, and later conducted field tests in this country. Before the 2006 USDA announcement LL601 and LL604 were not being sold commercially and had not been approved for human consumption.2 Following the announcement, the regulatory bodies of several other countries reacted by banning or placing stringent testing requirements on any U.S. long-grain rice imports.

Many farmers and others involved in the rice business brought suit against Bayer and others, claiming that they were damaged by the contamination of the rice supply and the effect the announcement had on the market for rice. Cases from other districts were transferred here for pretrial proceedings under 18 U.S.C. § 1407. The first bellwether trial will begin on November 2, 2009 and will involve the claims of Missouri plaintiffs Kenneth Bell and J.H. Hunter Farms (and the various entities through which they grow rice).

The Missouri plaintiffs seek damages under theories of negligence, public and private nuisance, negligence per se and the North Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act.3 Although the complaint also alleges claims for strict liability,4 plaintiffs have indicated that they do not intend to pursue strict liability claims on behalf of these Missouri plaintiffs. Plaintiffs claim damages from the drop in market price for rice, losses they suffered because they either could not plant or had to plant different crops or varieties the following year, and expenses for cleaning their equipment and property.

II. Liability Issues

Defendants seek summary judgment on all of the claims.5 They assert that...

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    ...misrepresentation cases are in a different category from cases in which the ELD has been applied). In In re Genetically Modified Rice Litigation, 666 F.Supp.2d 1004 (E.D.Mo.2009), the court, in concluding that the ELD did not bar rice contamination claims in the stranger context under Misso......
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    ...whether the defendants were engaged in a joint venture must be left to the jury. See, e.g. , In re Genetically Modified Rice Litig. , 666 F. Supp. 2d 1004, 1028 (E.D. Mo. 2009), adhered to on reconsideration , 4:06MD1811 CDP, 2011 WL 5024548 (E.D. Mo. Oct. 21, 2011) (reserving joint venture......
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2 books & journal articles
  • Muddied Waters: A Review of Joint Venture Jurisprudence in Missouri.
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    ...Id. at *2. (77.) Id. at *3; see Morrison v. Caspersen, 323 S.W.2d 697, 701-02 (Mo. 1959); In re Genetically Modified Rice Litig., 666 F. Supp. 2d 1004, 1027 (E.D. Mo. 2009) ("Corporations may become members of joint ventures only by express agreement or contract."); Ritter v. BJC Barnes Jew......
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