Opinion ID: 664624
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: 4 Our review of a district court's summary judgment decision is plenary. FDIC v. Anchor Properties, 13 F.3d 27, 31 (1st Cir.1994). Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings and affidavits raise no genuine issue as to any material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id.; see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). 5 The nonmoving party bears the burden of placing at least one material fact into dispute after the moving party shows the absence of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2554, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Evidence in the record supports that plaintiff's pacemaker was defective; that the defect caused plaintiff's injuries; and that Medtronic was aware, before the pacemaker failed, that the model might not work properly. 6 Medtronic asserted in its motion for summary judgment that [t]here are no genuine issues of material fact since even if plaintiff could prove all her factual allegations, her claims would be preempted. Medtronic also stated, [f]or the purposes of its Motion for Summary Judgment only,  that it did not dispute the following allegations of plaintiff: 7 1. [A] Medtronic [pacemaker], model number 5984LP (the device), [was] implanted into [plaintiff] on May 14, 1986.... 8 2. [T]he device failed on March 10, 1992.... 9 3. This alleged failure caused a near death circumstance and plaintiff was required to undergo emergency surgery to remove the ... device.... 10 4. [Plaintiff's] injuries ... were due to defects in the labeling, design and manufacture of the device.... 11 Def.'s Mot. for Summ.J., at 2-3 (emphasis in original). 12 We take these assertions at face value. We assume plaintiff's factual allegations are true, and we examine the legal issues in this light. Medtronic does not contend that plaintiff's allegations fail to state a claim under Massachusetts law. The sole issue addressed by the parties and the district court is preemption, which is the key issue on appeal.