In re Testosterone Replacement Therapy Prods. Liab. Litig., CASE NO. 1:14-CV-01748

• Decision Date: 23 April 2018
• Docket Number: CASE NO. 1:14-CV-01748,MDL 2545
• Parties: IN RE: TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION
• Court: U.S. District Court — Northern District of Illinois

IN RE: TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

CASE NO. 1:14-CV-01748

MDL 2545

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

April 23, 2018

JUDGE MATTHEW F. KENNELLY

This Document Relates to:

Mitchell v. AbbVie, Case No. 1:14-cv-09178

DEFENDANTS' RENEWED MOTION AND SUPPORTING MEMORANDUM FOR JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF LAW UNDER RULE 50(b) OR, ALTERNATIVELY, FOR A NEW TRIAL OR REMITTITUR UNDER RULE 59

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARGUMENT .................................................................................................................................. 2

I. THE JURY'S NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY VERDICTS CONFLICT ..... 2

II. PLAINTIFF FAILED TO PROVE INADEQUATE WARNINGS ................................... 5

A. Reasonable Evidence of a Causal Association Did Not Exist as Required to Avoid Preemption .............................................................................................................. 5

B. Plaintiff Failed to Prove Inadequate Warnings Under Oregon Law ....................... 7

III. PLAINTIFF FAILED TO PROVE CAUSATION OF USE .............................................. 8

IV. PLAINTIFF FAILED TO PROVE THAT ANDROGEL CAUSED HIS HEART ATTACK OR THAT HIS INJURY WAS REASONABLY FORESEEABLE ................. 9

A. Plaintiff Did Not Establish General Causation ....................................................... 9

B. Plaintiff Did Not Establish Specific Causation ..................................................... 11

C. Plaintiff Failed to Satisfy the Oregon Law Requirement of Showing that He Would Not Have Had a Heart Attack But For AndroGel ..................................... 12

D. The Causation Instructions Were Improper .......................................................... 13

E. The Court Erroneously Excluded Additional Evidence Showing that AndroGel Did Not Cause Plaintiff's Heart Attack ................................................................ 13

V. THE COURT SHOULD REDUCE THE DAMAGES AWARD .................................... 15

A. State Law Bars Any Punitive Damages Award .................................................... 15

B. The Punitive Damages Award Violates Due Process ........................................... 17

C. The Compensatory Damages Award Went Beyond the Evidence at Trial ........... 19

D. The Punitive Damages Award Exceeded Constitutional and Illinois State Law Limitations ............................................................................................................ 20

VI. THE JURY WAS CLEARLY DIVIDED AND REACHED A VERDICT THAT WAS NOT REALLY UNANIMOUS ........................................................................................ 24CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 25TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

CASES Page(s)

Adams v. Fuqua Indus., Inc., 820 F.2d 271 (8th Cir. 1987) ..................................................................................................... 9

Allbright v. Teva Pharm. USA, Inc., No. 17-CV-61800, 2017 WL 5971720 (S.D. Fla. Dec. 1, 2017) ............................................... 5

Allison v. McGhan Med. Corp., 184 F.3d 1300 (11th Cir. 1999) ............................................................................................... 10

Bains LLC v. Arco Prod. Co., Div. of Atl. Richfield Co., 405 F.3d 764 (9th Cir. 2005) ................................................................................................... 22

In re Bayside Prison Litig., 331 F. App'x 987 (3d Cir. 2009) ............................................................................................. 22

United States v. Blitch, 622 F.3d 658 (7th Cir. 2010) ................................................................................................... 24

BMW of N. Am., Inc. v. Gore, 517 U.S. 559, 583 (1996) ......................................................................................................... 22

Bowman v. Corr. Corp. of Am., 350 F.3d 537 (6th Cir. 2003) ................................................................................................... 14

Brown v. Burlington N. Santa Fe Ry. Co., 765 F.3d 765 (7th Cir. 2014) ................................................................................................... 12

Buckman Co. v. Plaintiffs' Legal Comm., 531 U.S. 341 (2001) ................................................................................................................... 7

United States v. Byrski, 854 F.2d 955 (7th Cir. 1988) ................................................................................................... 25

Chlopek v. Fed. Ins. Co., 499 F.3d 692 (7th Cir. 2007) ..................................................................................................... 9

Clausen v. M/V NEW CARISSA, 339 F.3d 1049 (9th Cir. 2003) ................................................................................................. 11

Conway v. Pac. Univ., 924 P.2d 818 (Or. 1996) (en banc) ............................................................................................ 5

Dallas Ceramic Co. v. United States, 598 F.2d 1382 (5th Cir. 1979) ................................................................................................... 9

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc., 43 F.3d 1311 (9th Cir. 1995) ................................................................................................... 10

Ervin v. Johnson & Johnson, Inc., 492 F.3d 901 (7th Cir. 2007) ................................................................................................... 11

Fathera v. Smyrna Police Dep't, 646 F. App'x 395 (6th Cir. 2016) ............................................................................................ 13

In re Fosamax Prods. Liab. Litig., No. 06 MD 1789 JFK, 2013 WL 174416, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 15, 2013) .............................. 18

United States v. Fossler, 597 F.2d 478 (5th Cir. 1979) ............................................................................................. 24, 25

Frain v. Andy Frain, Inc., 660 F. Supp. 97 (N.D. Ill. 1987) ............................................................................................ 2, 4

United States v. Gabriel, 597 F.2d 95 (7th Cir. 1979) ..................................................................................................... 25

Gen. Leaseways, Inc. v. Nat'l Truck Leasing Ass'n, 830 F.2d 716 (7th Cir. 1987) ................................................................................................... 24

Giles v. Wyeth, Inc., 556 F.3d 596 (7th Cir. 2009) ..................................................................................................... 9

Hagen v. Richardson-Merrell, 697 F. Supp. 334 (N.D. Ill. 1988) ............................................................................................ 21

Hazelwood v. Ill. Cent. Gulf R.R., 450 N.E.2d 1199 (Ill. App. Ct. 1983) ...................................................................................... 23

Higgins v. Koch Dev. Corp., 794 F.3d 697 (7th Cir. 2015) ................................................................................................... 11

Joshi v. Providence Health Sys. of Or. Corp., 149 P.3d 1164 (Or. 2006) .................................................................................................. 12, 13

SEC v. Koenig, 557 F.3d 736 (7th Cir. 2009) ................................................................................................... 14

Kopczick v. Hobart Corp., 721 N.E.2d 769 (Ill. App. Ct. 1999) .................................................................................. 16, 17

Lawlor v. N. Am. Corp. of Ill., 983 N.E.2d 414 (Ill. 2012) ....................................................................................................... 23

In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Mktg., Sales Practices & Prod. Liab. Litig., 174 F. Supp. 3d 911 (D.S.C. 2016) ...................................................................................... 9, 10

Loitz v. Remington Arms Co., 563 N.E.2d 397 (Ill. 1990) ....................................................................................................... 16

Mendez-Matos v. Guaynabo, 557 F.3d 36 (1st Cir. 2009) ................................................................................................ 21, 22

Moore v. Remington Arms Co., 427 N.E.2d 608 (Ill. App. Ct. 1981) ........................................................................................ 16

Moyer v. United Dominion Indus., Inc., 473 F.3d 532 (3d Cir. 2007) ..................................................................................................... 15

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Myers v. Ill. Cent. R. Co., 629 F.3d 639 (7th Cir. 2010) ................................................................................................... 11

In re Nat'l Hockey League Players' Concussion Injury Litig., MDL No. 14-2551 SRN/BRT, 2017 WL 3142399, at *8 n.9 (D. Minn. July 24, 2017) .................................................................................................................................. 14

Oja v. Howmedica, Inc., 111 F.3d 782 (10th Cir. 1997) ............................................................................................... 2, 3

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Patton v. Country Place Condo. Ass'n, No. 4-00-0008, 2000 WL 33728374 (Ill. App. Ct. July 7, 2000) .............................................. 4

Peabody Coal Co. v. Dir., Office of Workers' Comp. Programs, 165 F.3d 1126 (7th Cir. 1999)...