Law

After trial, defendants moved for JNOV, arguing, inter alia, that they were entitled to judgment as a matter of law because plaintiffs’ warnings claim was preempted, under principles of implied conflict preemption.  Under Wyeth v. Levine, defendants’ argument seemed airtight. Under Levine, 555 U.S. 555, 571 (2009), there is “impossibility preemption” – preemption because it is impossible to comply with both state and federal requirements – when there is “clear evidence that the FDA would not have approved” the labeling change the plaintiffs seek.  Plaintiffs’ failure-to-warn claim argued that the Children’s Motrin label should have contained certain specific language related to TEN.  But the FDA had already rejected identical language when that language was the subject of a Citizen Petition.   Could there be any clearer evidence than an FDA decision rejecting the very language plaintiffs identified?   The Reckis court apparently thought so, since “actually did not” wasn’t “clear” enough for that court.  Even though the substantive FDCA standards were identical, the court speculated that it could have made a difference if the FDA had considered a manufacturer’s request instead of a third party’s petition, 471 Mass. at 290, a rationale that impermissibly assumes that the FDA doesn’t always adhere to its own evidentiary standards.  The Reckis court’s refusal to recognize preemption under any set of facts was so blatant that we concluded, “If the Supreme Court meant what it said in Levine, evidently it will have to say so again.”