St. Jude Defibrillator Case Remanded After Amount-In-Controversy Requirement Not Met

TACOMA, Wash. — A Washington federal judge has remanded a defibrillator case to state court, ruling that defendant St. Jude Medical Inc. failed to present evidence that the $75,000 amount-in-controversy threshold has been met.

In an April 1 order, Judge Benjamin Settle of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington rejected St. Jude’s argument that the jurisdictional threshold has clearly been met because the plaintiff alleges the defibrillator caused her severe injury, requiring her to be hospitalized and undergo surgery. The judge said that without more evidence, he cannot infer that those events cost more than $75,000.