Harrison v. Wyeth Laboratories Division of American Home Products Corp.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
510 F. Supp. 1 (1980)
- Written by Elizabeth Yingling, JD
Facts
Anthony Harrison, Janet Harrison, and other similarly situated individuals (collectively, Harrison) (plaintiffs), all citizens of the United Kingdom, sued Wyeth Laboratories Division (Wyeth) of American Home Products Corp. (AHPC) (defendant) for injuries suffered as a result of using oral contraceptives that Harrison purchased in the United Kingdom. Wyeth’s principal place of business was in Pennsylvania. Harrison alleged that Wyeth caused the marketing, sales, and distribution of the contraceptives in the United Kingdom. Harrison also alleged that Wyeth directly, or through its agents, produced and manufactured the contraceptives in the United Kingdom. Wyeth alleged that a U.K. subsidiary of AHPC, John Wyeth & Brothers Limited (JWB), manufactured, packaged, labeled, marketed, and distributed the contraceptives in the United Kingdom. Harrison countered that the alleged wrongful conduct occurred in Pennsylvania, where Wyeth placed the drugs in the stream of commerce without adequate warnings. Harrison also alleged that Pennsylvania law should apply to the case. Wyeth filed a motion to dismiss based on forum non conveniens and asserted that the United Kingdom was the appropriate forum.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Weiner, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 797,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.