Sindell v. Abbott Laboratories

607 P.2d 924, 26 Cal.3d 588 (1980)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Sindell v. Abbott Laboratories

Supreme Court of California
607 P.2d 924, 26 Cal.3d 588 (1980)

Play video

Facts

Judith Sindell (plaintiff) developed cancer allegedly as a result of her mother’s ingestion of the drug diethylstilbesterol (DES) during pregnancy. Several drug manufacturers produced DES based on the same formula, and Sindell did not know which manufacturer actually produced the specific drug that caused her harm. Sindell and a class of similarly affected women brought suit against Abbott Laboratories and other DES manufacturers (defendants). The trial court dismissed Sindell’s complaint because Sindell could not identify the manufacturer of the specific drug that caused her injuries. Sindell appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Mosk, J.)

Dissent (Richardson, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 790,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 790,000 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 790,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Products Liability
Torts

Key Terms

Related Videos