CONNIE J. THACKER v. ETHICON, INC.; JOHNSON & JOHNSON - Articles

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CONNIE J. THACKER v. ETHICON, INC.; JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Posted by: Karen Belcher on Aug 26, 2022

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: G. Sean Jez, FLEMING, NOLEN & JEZ, LLP, Houston, Texas, for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Amy M. Pepke, BUTLER SNOW LLP, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellees.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: G. Sean Jez, Gregory D. Brown, Sylvia Davidow, FLEMING, NOLEN & JEZ, LLP, Houston, Texas, for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Amy M. Pepke, Susanna M. Moldoveanu, BUTLER SNOW LLP, Memphis, Tennessee, Charles A. Byrd, BUTLER SNOW LLP, Ridgeland, Mississippi, for Appellees.

Judge(s): CLAY, ROGERS, and KETHLEDGE, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Lexington

CLAY, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff Connie Thacker sued Defendants Ethicon Inc. and its parent company Johnson & Johnson (collectively “Ethicon”) alleging that two medical devices that Ethicon manufactured caused Thacker to suffer several injuries. She brought strict liability and negligence claims under the Kentucky Product Liability Act (“KPLA”) alleging design defect and failure to warn. See Ky. Rev. Stat. § 411.300–411.340. After the close of discovery, Ethicon moved for summary judgment. The district court granted Ethicon’s motion for summary judgment on Thacker’s KPLA claims. See Thacker v. Ethicon, Inc., 571 F. Supp. 3d 691, 695 (E.D. Ky. 2021). For the reasons set forth below, we REVERSE the district court’s order and REMAND for further proceedings.

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