Abstract
” Defendants Rexall Drug Company (Rexall), the Upjohn Company (Upjohn) and Abbott Laboratories (Abbott) move pursuant to CPLR 3212 for summary judgment dismissing the complaint based upon the conceded inability of plaintiffs to identify the particular manufacturer of the drug, diethylstilbestrol (DES) to which they were allegedly exposed. Defendants contend that the right to recover on collective, nonidentification or concerted action theories of liability has not been established in New York and urge the court to reject adoption of such theories. Defendants further contend that if concerted action is a viable basis of liability, it should not be applicable in a DES case. The motions are consolidated for disposition.
TIGUE v. SQUIBB & SONS, Leagle, 1987603136Misc2d467_1521, July 16, 1987.
Plaintiffs seek to recover for injuries allegedly sustained by Elizabeth Tigue and Myrna Margolies (now deceased) as a result of the ingestion of DES by their mothers. Sayre Margolies proceeds on behalf of her daughter Myrna who died in 1977 at age 23, from clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix and vagina, a rare form of cancer in young women, associated with prenatal exposure to DES. Plaintiff Elizabeth Tigue was diagnosed as having vaginal adenosis, a precancerous condition associated with DES exposure, in which glandular tissue normally found in the cervix is found in the vagina. Plaintiffs’ complaints allege breach of warranty, negligence, strict liability, res ipsa loquitur, concerted action and aiding and abetting strict liability.” …
… “Since plaintiffs, at least in this department, may proceed on a collective or concerted action liability theory, the inability to identify the actual manufacturer of the DES taken by Mrs. Tigue and Mrs. Margolies is not fatal. Plaintiffs’ factual allegations to support a finding of concerted action are substantially the same as those pleaded in Bichler (supra) and clearly state a viable cause of action for concert by agreement or substantial assistance. ” …
… ” This court declines to rule at this time on the applicability to DES cases of each of the various theories of liability (in addition to concerted action), which are not specifically pleaded but are raised in response to defendants’ motions. The only question raised on the motions before this court is whether defendants may be held liable absent product identification and the answer is yes. ” …
… read the full paper TIGUE v. SQUIBB & SONS, on Leagle.
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