Ill. Judge Says Federal Law Does Not Preempt Claims in Zoloft Case

CHICAGO - Pfizer's motion for summary judgment in a wrongful death action was denied on May 9 by a federal judge who found that a Zoloft plaintiff's failure-to-warn claims were not preempted by federal law. Zikis v. Pfizer Inc. No. 04-cv-8104 (N. Dist. Ill.).

Plaintiff Gail C. Zikis sued Pfizer in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in December 2004, alleging that Zoloft (sertraline), an antidepressant, was responsible for the December 2002 suicide death of her husband, Donald.

Zikis contends that Pfizer has known about Zoloft's serious side effects for a long time, but only …