Robbins et al v. Boston Scientific Corporation, No. 2:2012cv01413 - Document 114 (S.D.W. Va. 2015)

Court Description: MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER (Defendant's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment) denying 58 MOTION WITH MEMO IN SUPPORT by Boston Scientific Corporation for Partial Summary Judgment on Plaintiffs Mistee Robbins and Shawn Robbins Punitive Damages Claim, as more fully set forth herein. Signed by Judge Joseph R. Goodwin on 10/5/2015. (cc: counsel of record; any unrepresented party) (kp)

Download PDF
Robbins et al v. Boston Scientific Corporation Doc. 114 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA CHARLESTON DIVISION MISTEE ROBBINS and SHAUN ROBBINS, Plaintiffs, v. Civil Action No. 2:12-cv-01413 BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORP., Defendant. MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER (Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment) Pending before the court is defendant Boston Scientific Corporation’s (“BSC”) Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Mistee Robbins’s and Shaun Robbins’s Punitive Damages Claim (“Motion for Partial Summary Judgment”) [Docket 58]. To obtain summary judgment, “the movant must show that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). In turn, to avoid summary judgment, the nonmovant must offer some “concrete evidence from which a reasonable juror could return a verdict in his [or her] favor.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 256 (1986). The question of whether a plaintiff is entitled to punitive damages often involves an interlocking web of factual determinations respecting the defendant’s conduct. A court thus treads cautiously, especially pretrial, when adjudicating a peremptory request to remove the matter entirely from the factfinder’s consideration. The evidentiary record is frequently muddled enough on the point that genuine issues of material fact remain. That is the case here. Consequently, BSC is not, at least at this stage of the case, entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the punitive Dockets.Justia.com damages claim. The court will be better equipped to assess, and perhaps resolve, the issue at the stage for Rule 50 motions. For these reasons, the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment [Docket 58] is DENIED. The court DIRECTS the Clerk to send a copy of this Order to counsel of record and any unrepresented party. ENTER: October 5, 2015 2

Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.