Knee Implant Manufacturer Says Plaintiff’s Claims Fail Under Pennsylvania Law, Federal Pleading Standards

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A medical device maker has moved to dismiss a lawsuit brought on behalf of a woman whose Encore knee replacement failed approximately 11 years after it was implanted, arguing that many of the causes of action asserted in the complaint aren’t recognized under Pennsylvania law.

Encore Medical Inc. contends in a brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that in addition to being “the worst kind of conclusory pleading,” Plaintiff Helen Houtz’s complaint seeks damages for a device that failed at the end of its anticipated 10-year life cycle.

Houtz …