Mass Tort Defense : Mass Tort Defense Lawyer & Attorney : Sean P. Wajert : Dechert Law Firm : Products Liability, Class Actions, Pharmaceutical Litigation

Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard was ejected from a game this week in extra innings, leaving his team (which had no more position players) to insert ace pitcher Roy Oswalt into the outfield and to use him at the plate. First time the Phils used a pitcher in the field in decades. Howard argued a mistakenly called third strike on a check swing.

Today's post relates to a different kind of mistaken strike. The Ninth Circuit has explained that trial courts cannot strike a claim for damages on the ground that the damages are precluded as a matter of law.  Whittlestone Inc. v. Handi-Craft Co., No. 09-16353 (9th Cir. Aug. 17, 2010).  Specifically, Rule 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure does not authorize the court to strike the claim for damages on the basis that such damages are legally not recoverable.

Here, the defendant field a Rule 12 motion to strike the paragraphs of the complaint that sought the recovery of lost profits and consequential damages, in alleged violation of the plain language of the parties' contract.  The trial court granted the motion, and plaintiff appealed.

Rule 12(f) states that a district court “may strike from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” The function of a 12(f) motion
to strike is to avoid the expenditure of time and money that would arise from litigating spurious issues by dispensing with those issues prior to trial.  While the motion here seemed to fit the purpose of the rule, it didn't fit the language. The court found that the damages allegations met none of those listed categories. 

Handi-Craft argued that Whittlestone’s claim for lost profits and consequential damages should be stricken from the complaint, because such damages were precluded as a matter of law.  But that meant that Handi-Craft’s 12(f) motion was really an attempt to have certain portions of  Whittlestone’s complaint dismissed or to obtain summary judgment against Whittlestone as to those portions of the suit, which attempt was better suited for a Rule 12(b)(6) motion or a Rule 56
motion, not a Rule 12(f) motion. 

And this was not harmless error, said the 9th, because the standard for review of the different motions is not the same, and there was some question whether a 12(b)(6) motion would be granted, had it been filed.

The court concluded that Rule 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure does not authorize a district court to dismiss a claim for damages on the basis it is precluded as a matter of
law.

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A suit over an allegedly defective truck is the stage for the latest entry in the debate whether the claim pleading standards clarified in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007), and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937 (2009), apply to affirmative defenses as well.

In Hayne v. Green Ford Sales Inc., 2009 WL 5171779 (D. Kan. 12/22/09), defendants plead standard affirmative defenses to the breach of warranty claim, including statute of limitations, contributory fault, failure to mitigate damages, assumption of risk, superseding/intervening act, waiver, failure to use product in manner designed or intended, and estoppel. Plaintiffs moved to strike the defenses under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f).

The court, sua sponte, noted that the motion to strike raised the issue as to what pleading standard applies to affirmative defenses. Recognizing that the courts have split on the issue so far, the district court found that the Twombly/Iqbal standard for pleading a claim also applies to defenses.

Courts that have applied the heightened pleading standard  to affirmative defenses: CTF Dev., Inc. v. Penta Hospitality, LLC, 2009 WL 3517617, at *7-8 (N.D.Cal. Oct. 26, 2009) Tracy ex rel. v. NVR, Inc., 2009 WL 3153150, at *7-8 (W.D.N.Y. Sept. 30, 2009); FDIC v. Bristol Home Mortg. Lending, LLC, 2009 WL 2488302, at *2-4 (S.D.Fla. Aug. 13, 2009); Teirstein v. AGA Medical Corp., 2009 WL 704138, at *6 (E.D.Tex. Mar. 16, 2009); Greenheck Fan Corp. v. Loren Cook Co., 2008 WL 4443805, at *1-2 (W.D.Wis. Sept. 25, 2008); Stoffels ex rel. SBC Tel. Concession Plan v. SBC Commc'ns, Inc., 2008 WL 4391396, at *1 (W.D.Tex. Sept. 22, 2008); Safeco Ins. Co. of Am. v. O'Hara Corp., 2008 WL 2558015, at *1 (E.D. Mich. June 25, 2008); Holtzman v. B/E Aerospace, Inc., 2008 WL 2225668, at *2, (S.D.Fla. May 28, 2008); United States v. Quadrini, 2007 WL 4303213, at *3-4 (E.D.Mich. Dec. 06, 2007).

The court observed that "parties do not always know all the facts relevant to their claims or defenses until discovery has occurred."  But to equate the plaintiff's knowledge, or lack  of knowledge, after months or perhaps years of possible preparation and investigation, and having full access to plaintiff, the product, and key fact witnesses in most cases, to the defendant's ability in a few short days after being served to know all the relevant facts, is a completely unfair comparison.  While the court said it did not mean to "suggest that heightened pleading requires the assertion of evidentiary facts. A minimal statement of only ultimate facts should suffice," the better reasoned decisions are cases like First Nat'l Ins. Co. of Am. v. Camps Servs., Ltd, 2009 WL 22861, at *2 (E.D.Mich. Jan. 5, 2009) (finding Twombly's analysis of the “short and plain statement” requirement inapplicable to affirmative defenses); and Romantine v. CH2M Hill Eng'rs, Inc., 2009 WL 3417469, at *1 (W.D.Pa. Oct. 23, 2009) (declining to apply Twombly to affirmative defenses).

The Supreme Court addressed in Twombly the requirements for a well-pled complaint under Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)'s “short and plain statement” requirement.  No such language, however, appears within Rule 8(c), the applicable rule for affirmative defenses. As such, Twombly 's analysis of the “short and plain statement” requirement of Rule 8(a) is inapplicable to a motion under Rule 8(c).

As posted about before, the plaintiffs' bar is seeking to get these Supreme Court cases overturned in Congress.  The possible application of the rule to affirmative defenses shouldn't make any defendants re-think opposition to the legislation.  But the handful of courts that have applied the standard to defenses raise a yellow flag for defendants.

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A few months ago, we alerted readers to the bill that Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) had introduced that would undermine the clarified civil pleading standards for plaintiffs set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (2007) decision, and reaffirmed in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (2009), decided in May.

The so-called "Notice Pleading Restoration Act of 2009’’ would turn back the clock to the ancient and unrealistic interpretation of Rule 8 of the Civil Rules announced in Conley v. Gibson more than 5 decades ago. The bill is clearly aimed at helping the plaintiffs' bar and making it more difficult for defendants to get courts to dismiss frivolous and ungrounded litigation before expensive discovery. Specter, the newly turned Democrat facing an uphill re-election battle, submitted the bill over the summer. In the Senate, a hearing on the bill is expected in the Judiciary Subcommittee on administrative oversight and the courts, chaired by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

Last week, Rep. Nadler (D.N.Y.), along with Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Henry Johnson (D-Ga.), introduced a bill in the House (H.R. 4115) to overturn Iqbal and Twombly. Their version is called the “Open Access to Courts Act of 2009.”  Unlike the Specter bill, the House version incorporates specific language from the Supreme Court's ancient Conley decision. The bill states a court shall not dismiss a complaint “unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of the claim which would entitle the plaintiff to relief.”  The House bill also would expressly bar a federal court from using the Iqbal and Twombly analysis, stating a court shall not dismiss a complaint “on the basis of a determination by the judge that the factual contents of the complaint do not show the plaintiff's claim to be plausible or are insufficient to warrant a reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”  In other words, the claim need not even be plausible, and it is not a problem if no reasonable person could infer that the defendant might actually be liable.

The House bill follows directly from the efforts of the American Association for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, which convened a meeting of many of the pro-litigation, anti-business interest groups to map out a strategy to not just turn back the clock, but to replace the current common sense regime. They eventually sent a letter to the members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, complaining that the current standards are hampering access to the courts and are denying their clients due process.  This coalition must have also thought that the Specter bill did not go far enough in simply trying to turn the clock back to the status quo ante.

In reality, it's hard to argue for overturning the two decisions without resort to hollow sloganeering or vague appeals to a warped definition of due process.  The decisions -- and think about whether you would want a case to proceed against you on this basis -- focus the trial courts' attention on mere “threadbare recitals” and vague and “conclusory statements,” to watch out for a mere re-stating of the hornbook legal elements of the case, and to look for a plaintiff to allege a “plausible” claim for relief that judges can evaluate based on their “judicial experience and common sense.”   In other words, say plaintiffs, please allow us to bring frivolous claims, alleging nothing of substance, and get into expensive protracted discovery so that we can force defendants to settle.  That's "due" process.

The legislation would likely create great confusion over the applicable legal standards for motions to dismiss, and eventually overwhelm the courts with frivolous lawsuits.  It seems the Democrats' goal to make it impossible for defendants to get cases dismissed early.

Not surprisingly, the House bill ignores the national security issues associated with overturning Iqbal, a case in which the plaintiff sought to sue a group of top government officials for allegedly violating his civil rights after he was arrested and detained in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.  The Democrats appear to think it is a good idea to subject Justice Department and FBI and Homeland Security officials to suits that are not plausible, are conclusory, are mere recitals of the elements of a cause of action. 

At the very least, any legislative effort is premature, pending a study to measure the possible effects of the Iqbal and Twombly decisions that is being conducted by the Judicial Conference of the United States. A preliminary study, reviewing both district and appellate court cases, concluded there was little evidence to date that courts were dismissing meritorious claims under the Iqbal/Twombly standards.

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In the Chinese Drywall  MDL, certain plaintiffs recently moved for leave to amend their Class Action Complaint to expand the class definition as to defendant Taishan Gypsum, from a Virginia state-wide class to a national class of all persons allegedly impacted by defective drywall made by that defendant. Plaintiffs assert that there will be no undue delay nor prejudice to defendants from the change; the amendment does not alter the proposed sub-classes as to other defendants who are the builders and installation contractors who allegedly installed the product. The amendment would also include new assertion of a violation of the consumer fraud acts of the various states. In re: Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, No. 09-md-02047 (E.D. La.).

An Omnibus [Proposed] Class Action Complaint is to be filed in the MDL on or before December 9, 2009 by the plaintiffs against another defendant, Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd (“KPT”) and other defendants who were involved in the manufacture, sale, importation, brokerage, distribution, construction and installation of homes containing KPT drywall, and any others who were involved in the stream of commerce for the KPT drywall. In order to assist in the consolidation and efficient handling of claims by affected homeowners, defendant KPT has apparently agreed to accept service of process for homeowner plaintiffs who are to be named in an Omnibus Amended Complaint, and waive its right to demand service of process through the Hague Convention. (We have posted about the issues related to suits against foreign defendants before.) However, to be eligible for inclusion in this Omnibus [Proposed] Class Action Complaint and the service waiver, homeowners must provide, by no later than December 2, 2009, sufficient indicia that the homes in question contain KPT drywall (e.g., photographs, samples, visual inspections or reports identifying KPT markings on drywall in the home), and must also submit by December 14, 2009, a fully completed and executed Plaintiff Profile Form, in accordance with PTO #11. The complaint will not be amended to include additional named plaintiffs after it is filed, the court has indicated.

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Add to your list of recent cases applying the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that clarified pleading standards, the decision in Frey v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., 2009 WL 2230471 (S.D.Ohio). 

The federal trial court dismissed a plaintiff's manufacturing and design defect claims against the maker of an epilepsy drug that allegedly caused her to develop multi-organ sensitivity, citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (2009), and Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007). Under Iqbal, a claim is facially plausible when the plaintiff  sufficiently “pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” 

Plaintiff  used Trileptal for a short time in 2005. A label change was made in Spring, 2005, adding a precaution regarding multi-organ sensitivity. Novartis sent a Dear Doctor letter, advising of the label change, in April.  Plaintiff contended that the drug caused her to develop multi-organ sensitivity and related complications. Plaintiff sued, alleging various claims, including defective design and manufacture. Novartis moved for a partial dismissal under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).

According to the court, plaintiff's first cause of action for strict liability for defect in the manufacture of Trileptal under Ohio law must be dismissed pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a plausible claim for relief. Plaintiff did nothing more than provide a formulaic recitation of the elements of a claim under the statute.  She failed to allege any facts that would permit the court to conclude that a manufacturing defect occurred and that the defect was the proximate cause of Frey's alleged injuries. Plaintiff's allegations in this regard fall far short of the sufficiency standard set forth in Twombly.

Similarly, the court said, the design defect claim would be dismissed because plaintiff once again simply provided a formulaic recitation of the elements of a claim under the statute. She did not allege any facts that would permit the court to conclude that there was a defect in the design or formulation of Trileptal and that the defect was the proximate cause of Frey's alleged injuries. Because plaintiff's allegations fall far short of the sufficiency standard set forth in Twombly, the claim for design defect must be dismissed.

Importantly, the court rejected plaintiff's argument that plaintiffs cannot be expected to particularly allege that the scientific makeup of the drug is defective for a specific reason without conducting discovery.

Finally, the court denied the plaintiff's motion to amend the complaint, saying she had not shown that they were able to allege facts that would state plausible claims for relief to satisfy the pleading standard.

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