Case Management Order Issued for 3T Heater Cooler System

Case Management Order Issued for 3T Heater Cooler System

Introduction

The plaintiffs and defendants involved in the Stockert 3T Heater Cooler System Litigation submitted a case management plan on June 19, 2018, for setting parameters for case-specific and generic discovery over the next 120 days.

The order states that the Plaintiff Fact Sheet (PFS) must be served 30 days after the Court approves it, and completed Defendant Fact sheet must be served 60 days after court's approval. Parties are supposed to agree on the contents of the respective fact sheets by the end of this month. As per the order, October 5, 2018, is the day when the plaintiffs can conduct depositions of defendant personnel, initiate the discovery of two hospitals, and begin written discovery and possible depositions of federal regulators, researchers, and laboratories that may affect the litigation.

Product liability lawsuits filed against the Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler System allege that the system contaminated the operating room air causing the development of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in the patient being operated. Stockert 3T lawsuits were centralized on Feb 1, 2018, for coordinated pretrial proceedings in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, before Judge John E. Jones III.