La. Judge Dismisses Suit Against St. Jude Involving Allegedly Defective Defibrillator Leads

NEW ORLEANS — Claims that St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc. (NYSE: STJ) violated Food and Drug Administration regulations in manufacturing and selling its Riata defibrillator leads are federally preempted because the plaintiff failed to establish a parallel cause of action, a Louisiana federal judge has ruled.

On Aug. 19, Judge Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana further found the plaintiff failed to allege a violation of the Louisiana Products Liability Act. The judge granted St. Jude’s motion to dismiss the action.

Jeanne Scianneaux alleged that in May 2010, she had a Medtronic …