N.Y. Judge Finds Product Liability Claims Against Medtronic Time-Barred

NEW YORK — Product liability claims brought against Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) in a case in which the tip of its pericardial sump broke off during a 2008 open-heart surgery are time-barred, a New York state judge has ruled.

On Feb. 6, Judge Alice Schlesinger of the New York County Supreme Court found the metallic tip is not a “substance” within the meaning of New York Civil Practice Rule 214-c, which extends the 3-year statute of limitations in cases involving “the latent effects of exposure to any substance” when the injury or its cause is not immediately discovered.

On Jan. 10, …