St. Jude Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator Case to Proceed in S.C. Federal Court

GREENVILLE, S.C. — A South Carolina federal judge has permitted claims of negligence, failure to warn and manufacturing defects to proceed in a St. Jude implantable cardiac defibrillator action, ruling that they are not preempted because they plead violations of state law that are parallel to federal regulations.

However, in the Aug. 19 order, Judge Donald C. Coggins Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina dismissed the plaintiff’s breach of warranty and unjust enrichment claims as preempted.

Forlondona Hill sued Abbott Laboratories, St. Jude Medical Inc., St. Jude Medical S.C., Inc. and Pacesetter Inc., alleging …