Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-01159/USCOURTS-ca10-91-01159-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Connie L. Cope
Not Party
Donald L. Cope
Appellant
Ethicon, Inc.
Appellee

Document Text:

FILED 

Uniwd States C-Ourt of Appreb Te11t'1 Circuit 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

OCT 3 0 1991 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

DONALD L. COPE, individually and as the) 

Personal Representative of the ) 

Estate of CONNIE L. COPE, ) 

) 

Plaintiff-Appellant, ) 

) 

v. ) 

) 

ETHICON, INC., a foreign corporation, ) 

) 

Defendant-Appellee. ) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

No. 91-1159 

(D.C. No. 90-C-2098) 

( D. Col. ) 

Before ARDERSON, TACHA, and BRORBY, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

The plaintiff-appellant Donald Cope appeals an order of the 

district court dismissing his complaint and action in a case 

alleging that the defendant-appellee manufactured a defective 

suture which caused the death of his wife. The district court 

held that the only action available to the plaintiff-appellant is 

for wrongful death under the laws of the State of Colorado. A 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppal. 10th Cir. R. 

36.3. 

Appellate Case: 91-1159 Document: 010110092994 Date Filed: 10/30/1991 Page: 1 
• 

• 

claim for wrongful death in Colorado accrues on the date of death. 

Colo. Rev. Stat. S 13-80-108(2). The claim in this case arose on 

December 23, 1987. A wrongful death cause of action is time 

barred unless it is filed within two years after death. Colo. 

Rev. Stat. S 13-80-102(l)(d). This action was commenced almost 

three years after the action accrued. We agree with the district 

court that the plaintiff-appellant is limited to a wrongful death 

action and that the action is now barred by the applicable statute 

of limitations. 

AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

-2-

ENTERED FOR THE COURT 

Deanell Reece Tacha 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 91-1159 Document: 010110092994 Date Filed: 10/30/1991 Page: 2