Tag Archives: Preemption

California Supreme Court to Tackle Labor and Insurance Issues

The California Supreme Court has five civil cases scheduled for its April calendar, each addressing important questions of labor and insurance law.   Independent Contractors or Employees – Class Actions: In Ayala v. Antelope Valley Newspapers, Inc., S206874, the court will address the determination of whether and when common issues dominate in a class action in … Continue Reading

California Confirms Preemption by FAA Over State Rule Barring Employee Waiver – Mostly

In Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc. v. Moreno (Sonic II), the California Supreme Court addressed an employee’s waiver of access to an administrative hearing, in this case a Berman hearing, in an arbitration agreement imposed as a condition of employment. The unanimous court concluded that a categorical rule prohibiting such waivers is preempted by the Federal Arbitration … Continue Reading

Illinois Supreme Court Holds Internet Sales Tax Preempted by Federal Statute

On Friday morning, the Illinois Supreme Court handed down its opinion in one of its most high-profile pending cases. The Court held in Performance Marketing Association, Inc. v. Hamer that the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) preempted the Illinois "Click-Through" Act, also known as the "Amazon tax" – becoming (according to lone dissenter Justice Lloyd … Continue Reading

Khasin v. Hershey: Unduly Narrowing the Preemptive Scope of Pom Wonderful

As we have briefly explored here, the Ninth Circuit has broadly construed Buckman implied preemption of state law claims pertaining to food, drugs, and medical devices, which are regulated under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”). Of particular note, the court held in PhotoMedex that Buckman “limits the ability of a private plaintiff to pursue … Continue Reading

Stengel Preemption on En Banc Review

As we noted here, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Stengel v. Medtronic Inc. is making its way through en banc review. Stengel, which involved both Riegel express preemption and Buckman implied preemption of state law claims regarding medical devices, was re-heard by the full Ninth Circuit on September 19, 2012. An audio recording of the … Continue Reading

Sacred Exclusivity: The Ninth Circuit Steers (Well) Clear of the FDA

The Supreme Court’s opinion in Buckman Co. v. Plaintiffs’ Legal Committee, 531 U.S. 341, 349-50 (2001), recognizes that any attempt by a plaintiff to enforce the FDCA is preempted by federal law, because Congress entrusted all such enforcement efforts to the sole discretion of the FDA.  In 2010, the Ninth Circuit’s PhotoMedex opinion held that … Continue Reading

The Gap Between Express and Implied Preemption Narrows In The Ninth Circuit

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently shrank universe of state law claims pertaining to Class III medical devices that remain untouched by Riegel express preemption or Buckman implied preemption. In Stengel v. Medtronic, Inc., the Court ruled that a state law failure-to-warn claim premised on FDA regulations was impliedly preempted by the Supreme Court’s decision … Continue Reading

Preemption, Standing and Vexatious Litigants on California Supreme Court’s May Argument Docket

The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for May, including four civil cases. Brown v. Mortensen: The Court will address whether the Federal Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) preempts causes of action for the improper disclosure of medical information under California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Civ. Code, § 56 et … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Holds Seatbelt Suits Not Pre-empted

The Supreme Court recently decided that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 (FMVSS 208), which requires auto manufacturers to install lap-and-shoulder seatbelts on seats next to a vehicle’s door frames, but allows manufacturers to choose between simple lap belts or lap-and-shoulder belts for rear inner seats (such as middle seats or those next to a … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Sides with Vaccine Manufacturers in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC

The Supreme Court, voting 6-2, ruled on Tuesday that the National Childhood Vaccine Act of 1986 (NCVIA or Act) bars state-law product liability claims against vaccine manufacturers.  [See Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC, FKA Wyeth, Inc. .pdf]. The Act, designed to ensure a stable vaccine supply by limiting vaccine manufacturers’ potential tort liability, created a special, … Continue Reading

Justice Kagan and the Future of Generic Drug Preemption

US Supreme Court Will Decide Fate of Preemption Defense for Generic Companies this Term Since the decision of the Supreme Court in Wyeth v. Levine, 129 S.Ct. 1187 (2009), the Eighth Circuit (in Mensing v. Wyeth, Inc., 588 F.3d 603 (8th Cir. 2009)) and the Fifth Circuit (in DeMahy v. Actavis, Inc., 593 F.3d 428 … Continue Reading

California Supreme Court 5/12/10 Conference

In its weekly conference, see list of actions, the California Supreme Court granted review in: Jankey v. Lee, in which the Court of Appeal held that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not preempt Civil Code § 55, which entitles the prevailing defendant to attorney’s fees upon defeating a claim for injunctive relief under the … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Short List Profiles: Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

As part of Appellate Strategist’s ongoing evaluation of the “short list” of potential nominees to replace retiring Justice Stevens, we turn now to one of the nominees who was also on the short list to replace Justice Souter – Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Wardlaw is a California … Continue Reading

Illinois Supreme Court Reaffirms Strong Federal Policy in Favor of Arbitration

Many states have enacted statutes automatically invalidating, under one set of circumstances or another, contracts which seem to require mandatory arbitration of disputes. In a 5-0 decision today (with two justices not participating), the Illinois Supreme Court cast such statutes in doubt, holding that two clauses of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act were preempted by … Continue Reading

California Supreme Court 4/14/10 Conference

In conference today (see list of actions), the Court granted review in Brown v. Mortensen, in which the Court of Appeal found that the Fair Credit Reporting Act preempted the restrictions imposed by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.  See B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.  In addition, the Court also requested supplemental briefing … Continue Reading

Illinois Supreme Court Will Release Two New Civil Opinions on Thursday

The Illinois Supreme Court announced this afternoon that it will release seven opinions [pdf] on the morning of Thursday, April 15th, including two civil cases: No. 106511, Carter v. SSC Odin Operating Company, LLC, which presents the issue of whether the clauses of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act invalidating any contractual provision limiting a resident’s … Continue Reading

California, As Usual, Is First To Decide: 2003 Medicare Act Preempts Enrollee’s State Law Claims Against Healthcare Service Plan

In 2003, Congress enacted the latest version of the Medicare Act.  It contained far broader language than previous versions on what State law claims it preempted: “The standards established under this part shall supersede any State law or regulation (other than State licensing laws or State laws relating to plan solvency) with respect to MA … Continue Reading
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