Court Opinion

ID: 9624563
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:08:56.780806+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:49.889187
License: Public Domain

HERNANDEZ, Judge (specially concurring). I concur in the result only. I consider that plaintiff has not raised an issue of fact concerning the adequacy of the warning, Appendix to follow Judge Sutin’s Opinion. APPENDIX A [[Image here]] but that he has raised an issue of fact as to defective design. About 1965, plaintiff began to take Sinutabs for his hay fever, on prescription of a doctor. When he discovered that Sinutabs were sold over the counter, he threw away the prescription; he has no memory of its terms. He read the label on the Sinutab bottle; he does not remember that the label contained any warning about possible kidney damage from extended usage of the drug. He took four tablets almost every day from 1965 on. About 1970, a clerk at a Skaggs drugstore in Albuquerque suggested to plaintiff that he take Skaggs Sinus Congestion Tablets instead of Sinutabs, because they had the same ingredients and the Skaggs product was cheaper. Plaintiff compared the ingredients on the two products and satisfied himself that the ingredients were the same. He does not recall having read any portion of the Skaggs label except the ingredients, and he did not rely on the warning on the label. He testified at his deposition that if he had read the warning, he would have stopped taking the drug or would have consulted a doctor about continuing to use it. He took the Skaggs product at a rate of about four tablets a day until he developed acute kidney failure in 1973 and was told to stop taking it. Subsequently, two nephrologists determined that the phenacetin and acetaminophen in Sinutabs and Skaggs Sinus Congestion Tablets were responsible for permanent damage to his kidneys. Plaintiff filed suit against a number of defendants associated with the production, distribution, and sale of Sinutabs and Skaggs Sinus Congestion Tablets, alleging strict liability and negligence in that the products were defectively designed (in that their risks outweighed their benefits) and the warnings provided were inadequate. The defendants who produced, distributed, and sold Skaggs Sinus Congestion Tablets moved for summary judgment. The motion was denied on the ground that the district court “cannot conclude as a matter of law that the warnings furnished by Defendants on ‘Sinus Congestion Tablets’ . .did constitute as a matter of law adequate warnings as to the use of Sinus Congestion Tablets to preclude liability of these defendants . . . This interlocutory appeal followed. The issues, therefore, turn only on plaintiff’s use of the Skaggs product, not on the use of Sinutabs. The label on the Skaggs product has a colored center panel containing the name of the product and, in small print, the ingredients. The left-hand third of the label says, in pertinent part: “For the symptomatic relief of headaches, facial pain, nasal and sinus congestion often associated with acute and chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and the common cold. DOSAGE: Adults: One tablet every 4 hours. Do not exceed 6 tablets in 24 hours.” The right-hand third of the label says: “CAUTION: Individuals with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or thyroid disease should use only as directed by physician. This preparation may cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery while taking this medication. Do not give to children under 6 years of age or exceed the recommended dosage unless directed by physician. If relief, of cold symptoms does not occur within 3 days, discontinue use and consult physician. “WARNING: This medication may damage the kidneys when used in large amounts or for a long period of time. Do not take more than the recommended dosage, nor take regularly for longer than 10 days without consulting your physician. KEEP THIS AND ALL MEDICATIONS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. IN CASE OF ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE, CONTACT A PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY.” I disagree with the majority because I cannot find that plaintiff has raised any issue of fact as to the adequacy of the warning on the label of Skaggs Sinus Congestion Tablets. Plaintiff admits that he never read the warning on the Skaggs product. He makes no claim that the physical aspects of the warning were not adequate to attract his attention. “The physical aspects of the warning — conspicuousness, prominence, relative size of print, etc.,— must be adequate to alert the reasonably prudent person.” First Nat. Bk., Albuquerque v. Nor-Am Agr. Prod., Inc., 88 N.M. 74, 537 P.2d 682 (Ct.App.1975), cert. denied, 88 N.M. 29, 536 P.2d 1085 (1975). In Spruill v. Boyle-Midway, Incorporated, 308 F.2d 79 (4th Cir. 1962), where the court allowed recovery against a manufacturer of furniture polish despite the fact that the user admitted that she had not read the label, it is clear from the opinion that the plaintiff had raised an issue of fact as to whether the warning was sufficiently conspicuous. In the instant case, the only evidence on the adequacy of the contents of the warning comes from plaintiff himself, who admits that, had he read the warning, he would have discontinued use of the drug or consulted a physician about continuing it. Hence plaintiff admitted, in effect, that the contents of the warning were quite adequate to alert him to danger. The district judge misconceived the grounds necessary for him to grant summary judgment on this issue. It was not necessary for him to determine as a matter of law that the warning was or was not adequate; it was necessary, rather, for him to determine whether plaintiff had raised an issue of fact as to the adequacy of the warning. On this issue, defendants met their burden of making a prima facie showing that no genuine material issue of fact existed, and plaintiff did not meet his burden of showing that there was a genuine factual issue requiring trial. N.M.R.Civ.P. 56(c), § 21-l-l(56)(c), N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl. Vol. 4, 1970); Smith Const. Co. v. Knights of Columbus, Coun., 86 N.M. 50, 519 P.2d 286 (1974). Plaintiff has succeeded, on the other hand, in raising an issue of fact with regard to the claim of “defective design,” or risks that outweigh benefits so far that no warning could provide adequate protection for the consumer. The test for defective condition resulting from improper design is whether the product is unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer or to his property. Skyhook Corp. v. Jasper, 90 N.M. 143, 560 P.2d 934 (1977). Defendants rely on testimony from plaintiff’s medical experts that the drug causes kidney damage only if it is grossly overconsumed, in disregard of the warning on the label. The following statements of Dr. Barenberg, however, are sufficient to raise a material issue of fact as to whether the drug was so dangerous that no warning could be sufficient and the inclusion of phenacetin and acetaminophen constituted a design defect: “It is my further medical opinion, as a nephrologist, that products containing phenacetin or acetamenophen [sic] are unreasonably dangerous for over-the-counter sales not controlled by physicians’ prescription because any beneficial effect they may have is outweighed by the danger of their use without control by a qualified physician.” “In my mind there is no excuse for allowing a toxic drug such as phenacetin to be available to the public without the benefit of medical supervision. No layman could be expected to medically evaluate the seriousness or the risk of kidney damage, even with specific data.” Summary judgment should therefore have been denied as to plaintiff’s “defective design” claim, under the rule that where issues of material fact exist, summary judgment cannot be granted. N.M.R.Civ.P. 56(c) (§ 21-1-1(56)(c), N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl. Vol. 4, 1970)); Runyan v. Jaramillo, 90 N.M. 629, 567 P.2d 478 (1977); Goodman v. Brock, 83 N.M. 789, 498 P.2d 676 (1972).