Calif. Appeals Court Reinstates St. Jude Medical Implantable ICD Action

LOS ANGELES — A California appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by the survivors of a man who died after his implantable cardiac defibrillator malfunctioned, ruling that the plaintiffs should be allowed to substitute St. Jude Medical LLC for a Doe defendant.

In a Dec. 4 opinion, the California Court of Appeals, 2nd District, ruled that there is a reasonable possibility that the plaintiffs did not know that St. Jude Medical LLC was the proper defendant.

Philip Garey was diagnosed with arrhythmia and was implanted with an ICD in 2006 to regulate his heartbeat. In August 2017, Garey was …