Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-00729/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-00729-0/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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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

IN RE: Zicam Cold Remedy Marketing,

Sales Practices, and Products Liability

Litigation.

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THIS DOCUMENT RELATES TO:

Adjal, et al. v. Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.,

et al.,

No. CV 10-0729-PHX-FJM

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No. 09-md-2096-PHX-FJM

ORDER

The court has before it defendants’ renewed motion to dismiss the claims of the six

Adjal plaintiffs’ claims for failure to comply with court-ordered discovery (doc. 1484) and

defendants’ reply (doc. 1499). Plaintiffs have not responded, and the time to do so has

passed.

We denied defendants’ first motion to dismiss the Adjal plaintiffs for failure to

comply with discovery based on plaintiffs’ statement that they had cured the deficiencies in

their responses (doc. 1363). As an alternative sanction, we awarded defendants attorneys’

fees (doc. 1493). Defendants now renew their motion because, contrary to plaintiffs’ prior

assertion, the responses remain deficient, and plaintiffs have offered no explanation for the

continued delay. 

We may dismiss an action where a party fails to obey a court order on discovery. Fed.

R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2)(A)(v); In re Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litig., 460

F.3d 1217, 1226 (9th Cir. 2006). As an MDL court, our discretion to dismiss is broadened

by our responsibility to “promote the just and efficient conduct of actions that are

Case 2:10-cv-00729-FJM Document 14 Filed 08/05/11 Page 1 of 4
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coordinated or consolidated for pretrial purposes.” In re Phenylpropanolamine, 460 F.3d at

1252. As we near the conclusion of this MDL, we note our commitment to send back to the

transferor forums cases that are as close to trial ready as possible. See Transcript of Feb. 25,

2010 Proceedings at 13: 16–20 (doc. 217). 

Defendants served all personal injury plaintiffs with a plaintiff fact sheet (“PFS”) and

discovery on whether plaintiffs “sniffed” the Zicam product. Case Management Order 2

requires every personal injury plaintiff to complete the PFS, and return it within forty-five

days of receipt (doc. 398). If a plaintiff fails to serve a completed PFS, defendants’ lead

counsel must send a warning letter to plaintiff’s counsel requesting compliance within fifteen

days. If plaintiff does not then respond, defendants may move for appropriate relief. 

With respect to the Adjal plaintiffs, defendants have now sought relief three times,

through a first motion to dismiss, a motion for attorneys’ fees, and a second motion to

dismiss. As an initial matter, plaintiffs’ failure to respond to this motion is sufficient grounds

for dismissal. LRCiv 7.2(i) (if “counsel does not serve and file the required answering

memoranda . . . such non-compliance may be deemed a consent to the denial or granting of

the motion and the Court may dispose of the motion summarily.”). But this omission is one

of a series of decisions not to actively participate in this litigation. Defendants state that they

have contacted plaintiffs dozens of times regarding their discovery, and have not received

responses or an explanation of the continuing deficiencies. Additionally, plaintiffs’ first

response to defendants’ first motion to dismiss was not in compliance with Case

Management Order 1, and their second response was not timely and possibly misleading as

to plaintiffs’ efforts to cure their deficiencies. See First Response to Motion to Dismiss (doc.

1202) (stricken); Second Response to Motion to Dismiss (doc 1352). Plaintiffs’ response to

defendants’ motion for attorneys’ fees was cursory and not very helpful to the court (doc.

1390). Now, having already been sanctioned once and with the future of their claims at

stake, plaintiffs have not responded to this motion to dismiss. 

Therefore, in light of plaintiffs’ ongoing refusal to participate and in accordance with

plaintiffs’ decision not to oppose defendants’ motion, we dismiss plaintiffs’ claims with

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1

 Plaintiff Mahieddine Adjal’s fact sheet lacks information about healthcare providers.

Kosner Decl., ex. 1, “Adjal Fact Sheet” at 7 (doc. 1485-1). She also did not submit responses

to defendants’ “sniff discovery.” Motion to Dismiss at 4. Plaintiff Joeseph D’Amico failed

to submit a declaration verifying his amended response. Id. Plaintiff Krista Edwards failed

to include healthcare provider information or a description of when she first noticed an

impairment of her sense of smell. Edwards also did not submit responses to the “sniff

discovery.” Kosner Decl., ex. 3, “Edwards Fact Sheet” at 43, 48 (doc. 1485-1). Plaintiff

Kevin Murray did not provide healthcare provider contact information, details of Zicam use,

or information about where and when the products were bought Kosner Decl., ex. 4,

“Murray Fact Sheet” at 5, 8 (doc. 1485-2). Plaintiff Diane Nygard did not state complete

medical background information, the dates of her Zicam usage, the date and place of

purchase, whether she would seek lost wages, whether she communicated with healthcare

providers about her injury, and other medications she may be taking. Kosner Decl., ex. 5,

“Nygard Fact Sheet” (doc. 1485-2). Nygard also did not submit responses to the “sniff

discovery.” Motion to Dismiss at 4. Plaintiff Joseph Rubbo did not provide healthcare

provider contact information. Kosner Decl., ex. 6, “Rubbo Fact Sheet” at 41 (doc. 1485-2).

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prejudice. And while thorough analysis of the five-factor test for dismissal for failure to

comply with discovery is impossible without plaintiffs’ response, a brief analysis makes plain

that dismissal is appropriate. See In re Phenylpropanolamine, 460 F.3d at 1226 (listing five

factors to be considered prior to dismissal). First, “the public’s interest in expeditious

resolution of litigation” favors dismissal. Plaintiffs have passed on repeated opportunities

to comply with court orders. Given plaintiffs’ unwillingness to participate, remanding their

claims to the transferor forum would likely only serve to further waste judicial resources.

Second, our need to manage our docket supports dismissal. We have made clear that the

timely cooperation of all parties is vital to the management of such complex litigation.

Plaintiffs’ resistance has led to three motions. Third, defendants have been prejudiced by

plaintiffs’ delays in providing the requested information. While the significance of the

omissions varies among the six plaintiffs,1

 there is no excuse for any deficiencies at this late

date. Fourth, while public policy favors disposition of these claims on their merits, plaintiffs’

refusal to provide the requested information or to offer any explanation about the deficiencies

renders such a resolution impossible. Finally, a less drastic sanction is not available. Our

previous sanction of an assessment of attorneys’ fees was ineffective in securing compliance.

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IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED GRANTING defendants’ motion to dismiss the

claims of plaintiffs Mahieddine Adjal, Joseph D’Amico, Krista Edwards, Kevin Murray,

Diane Nygard, and Joseph Rubbo (doc. 1484). IT IS FURTHER ORDERED

DISMISSING with prejudice Adjal, et al. v. Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., et al., No. CV 10-

0729-PHX-FJM. 

DATED this 5th day of August, 2011.

Case 2:10-cv-00729-FJM Document 14 Filed 08/05/11 Page 4 of 4