The American Association for Justice (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) is reacting to today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court barring state tort law claims by patients against medical devise manufacturers, Riegel v. Medtronic.
AAJ CEO Jon Haber issued this statement this afternoon:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision in Riegel v. Medtronic limits the rights of people to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others,” Haber said. “This decision should be narrowly viewed as applying only to certain medical device cases and should not serve as precedent for cases involving drugs and other consumer products.
“We believe this ruling seriously misconstrues Congressional intent.”
Meanwhile, in a statement to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Medtronic spokesman Rob Clark said:”We are aware of today’s favorable decision for Medtronic by the Supreme Court. This is an important decision for the medical device industry and our continued ability to innovate and bring lifesaving technology to patients.”
