Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-00397/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-00397-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Product Liability

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JEFFREY MATZE,

Plaintiff,

 v.

BAYER CORPORATION, an Indiana

corporation, a successor to CUTTER

BIOLOGICAL, a California corporation;

BAXTER HEALTHCARE CORPORATION,

a Delaware corporation, and its HYLAND

DIVISION; and ALPHA THERAPEUTIC

CORPORATION, a California corporation, 

Defendants. /

No. C 07-00397 WHA

ORDER GRANTING

DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO

STAY PROCEEDINGS PENDING

TRANSFER AND VACATING

HEARING 

In this pharmaceutical products-liability action, defendant Bayer Corporation moves to

stay the proceedings pending transfer to a multi-district litigation proceeding. In the alternative,

Bayer asks for an enlargement of pretrial deadlines. Plaintiff Jeffrey Matze does not oppose

these motions. Accordingly, defendant’s motion for a stay of the proceedings is GRANTED. 

The hearing on this motion is hereby VACATED.

Plaintiff filed this action on January 19, 2007. Matze alleges that he contracted

Hepatitis C as a result of using defendants’ Factor VIII and Factor IX blood factor concentrates

products for treatment of hemophilia (Compl. ¶¶ 1, 7, 8). Since 1993, products-liability actions

involving Factor VIII and Factor IX blood factor concentrates have been transferred to the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for coordinated proceedings 

Case 3:07-cv-00397-WHA Document 11 Filed 03/14/07 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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before the Honorable Judge John F. Grady. See In re “Factor VIII or IX Concentrates Blood

Products” Liability Litigation, MDL No. 986, 853 F. Supp. 454 (J.P.M.L. 1993). Defendants

filed a notice of a tag-along action with the MDL panel on January 30, 2007. A conditional

transfer order issued on February 23, 2007. 

The power to grant a temporary stay “is incidental to the power inherent in every court

to control the disposition of the causes on its docket with economy of time and effort for itself,

for counsel, and for litigants.” Landis v. N. Am. Co., 299 U.S. 248, 254 (1936). Staying this

action now would promote judicial economy by eliminating unnecessary duplication of work

and preventing inconsistent results. Furthermore, plaintiff does not oppose this motion, and a

conditional transfer order has already issued. Thus, defendant’s motion to stay proceedings

pending transfer is GRANTED. Because defendant’s motion to stay is granted, this order need

not reach defendant’s motion for enlargement of pretrial deadlines. 

Seeing that no further argument is necessary on this matter, the hearing scheduled for

March 15, 2007, at 8:00 a.m. is hereby VACATED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 14, 2007. 

WILLIAM ALSUP

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:07-cv-00397-WHA Document 11 Filed 03/14/07 Page 2 of 2