Motus v. Pfizer, Inc.

196 F.Supp.2d 984 (2001)

Free access to 20,000 Casebriefs

Issues

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

Nature Of The Case

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

Facts

Dr. Trostler had been seeing P for about 4 months and concluded that P was moderately depressed. Dr. Trostler did not think that Mr. Motus was suicidal or sufficiently depressed to warrant sending P to a mental health professional. Dr. Trostler prescribed P 25 milligrams of Zoloft for seven days, followed by 50 milligrams of Zoloft for fourteen days. Dr. Trostler did not warn P that taking Zoloft could cause him to have suicidal thoughts or experience akathisia. He did not discuss with P any contraindications of taking Zoloft and was not aware of any contraindications that would have suggested. P was not a good candidate for Zoloft. Dr. Trostler told P to call him if his condition worsened or if he experienced any side effects, and he also had P schedule a follow-up appointment twenty days later. Six days later, on November 12, 1998, P committed suicide by shooting himself. Dr. Trostler could not recall reviewing any information from D before deciding to prescribe Zoloft to P, although he 'may have' relied on some unspecified written information from an 'article or seminar.' When asked: 'In deciding to prescribe P Zoloft, did you rely specifically on any statements made to you by Pfizer representatives?,' Dr. Trostler replied, 'No.' When asked: 'Did you rely on any materials provided to you by Dr sales representatives in making your decision to prescribe Zoloft to P?' Dr. Trostler replied, 'No.' D moved for summary judgment in that P cannot prove causation.

Holding & Decision

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal Analysis

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.

© 2007-2025 ABN Study Partner

© 2025 Casebriefsco.com. All Rights Reserved.