Supreme Court Upholds Preemtion Claim Under Medical Device Amendments
The Supreme Court made it harder for consumers to sue manufacturers of federally-approved medical devices when it ruled in Riegel v. Medtronic that many state common law claims are preempted by federal law. Riegel was injured when a balloon catheter burst during a medical procedure. He sued claiming that the device was defectively designed and that the manufacturer failed to warn of this risk.