Opinion ID: 1779137
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Propriety of Joinder

Text: ¶ 8. In the instant case, plaintiffs allege that proof that their claims against the defendants arise out of the same series of transactions and occurrences is evidenced by injury as a result of ingestion of the same drugs, prescription in the same state, production by the same manufacturer, the plaintiffs' trust in the seven different doctors who relied on false warning labels when prescribing the drug, and the same false and misleading warning labels resulting in the ingestion of the drugs. In Armond, we dealt with a trial court's denial of a motion to sever fifty-six plaintiffs who brought claims against forty-two different doctors and the manufacturer of the drug Propulsid. Armond, 866 So.2d at 1095. [3] We found that the plaintiffs had not alleged causes of action arising out of the same transaction or occurrence in light of the fact that the plaintiffs had different medical histories; alleg[ed] different injuries at different times; ingested different amounts of Propulsid over different periods of time; received different advice from [forty-two] different doctors who, in turn, received different information about the risks associated with the medication via six different warning labels utilized during the time covered by this lawsuit, and who each had his or her own reasons to prescribe Propulsid for the patients. Id. at 1096. We therefore held that it was practically impossible for the claims of fifty-six plaintiffs against forty-two doctors and a drug manufacturer to arise from the same transaction or occurrence in light of the fact that each plaintiff/doctor combination [had] its own set of facts and evidence surrounding the prescribing of Propulsid, the transaction or occurrence which is the basis for each claim. Id. at 1102. ¶ 9. The nature of the doctor/patient relationship is such that joinder of multiple plaintiffs in a case against multiple doctors with whom most have never had contact is almost always an invitation to confusion and prejudice. In light of the fact that the plaintiffs' bases for joinder as to their claims against Wyeth all originate from contacts with their doctors, the same logic for severance which we used in Armond applies to the joined claims against Wyeth as well. In order to demonstrate a distinct litigable event arising from the same transaction or occurrence, plaintiffs may not simply allege injuries stemming from the same drug manufacturer. They must also show, among other things, how they were exposed to those drugs, which, in this case, will necessarily involve several plaintiffs introducing evidence of their unrelated interactions with various doctors. ¶ 10. The trial of the seven plaintiffs' claims against the four doctors and Wyeth will inevitably result in the same confusing presentation of evidence which we sought to avoid in reversing the trial court in Armond. We therefore reverse the trial court's denial of Wyeth's Motion to Sever or Transfer Venue as to the defendants and remand with instructions that the trial court sever and transfer the cases to the appropriate venue.