CLAYWORTH v. PFIZER, INC.

No. S166435.

49 Cal.4th 758 (2010)

111 Cal. Rptr. 3d 666

233 P.3d 1066

JAMES CLAYWORTH et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants, v. PFIZER, INC., et al., Defendants and Respondents.

Supreme Court of California.

July 12, 2010.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Alioto Law Firm, Joseph M. Alioto, Joseph M. Alioto, Jr., Theresa D. Moore, Angelina Alioto-Grace, Thomas P. Pier; Law Offices of John H. Boone, John H. Boone; Foreman & Brasso, Russell F. Brasso; Law Offices of James M. Dombroski, James M. Dombroski; Law Offices of Jeffrey K. Perkins, Jeffrey K. Perkins; Gary D. McCallister & Associates, Gary D. McCallister, Thomas A. Kelliher, Eric I. Unrein and Jaime Goldstein for Plaintiffs and Appellants.

Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, Pamela M. Parker; Schubert Jonckheer Kolbe & Kralowec and Kimberly A. Kralowec for Consumer Attorneys of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.

Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason, Craig C. Corbitt and Henry A. Cirillo for Pharmacists Planning Service, Inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.

Filice Brown Eassa & McLeod, Peter A. Strotz, Paul R. Johnson, William E. Steimle; Davis Polk & Wardwell, Ameila Starr, Arthur F. Golden, William J. Fenrich and Daniel J. Schwartz for Defendant and Respondent AstraZeneca LP.

Winston & Strawn, Tyler M. Paetkau, Nicole P. Dogwill, James F. Hurst, Susan A. Pipal, Matthew J. Sullivan; Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg, David M. Stahl, J. Cunyon Gordon and Adam Oyenbanji for Defendant and Respondent Abbott Laboratories.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Jeffrey T. Thomas and James N. Knight for Defendant and Respondent Allergan, Inc.

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, Mayer Brown, Donald M. Falk, John Nadolenco, Mack Anderson; Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Steven O. Kramer, John P. Stigi III; Hogan & Hartson and Joseph H. Young for Defendant and Respondent Amgen, Inc.

Covington & Burling, Elizabeth Abigail Brown, Anita F. Stork, Theodore Voorhees, Jr., and Thomas J. Cosgrove for Defendant and Respondent Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, Paul J. Riehle, Matthew A. Fischer; Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Evan R. Chesler, Elizabeth L. Grayer, Jessica Buturla and Jeffrey B. Korn for Defendant and Respondent Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Reed Smith, Michele Diane Floyd, Kirsten J. Handelman; Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Gary Hansen, David Graham and Aaron Mills Scott for Defendant and Respondent Eli Lilly & Company.

Irell & Manella, Alexander F. Wiles, John C. Keith; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, George S. Cary, Sara D. Schotland and David I. Gelfand for Defendant and Respondent GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

Drinker Biddle & Reath, H. Christian L'Orange, Paul H. Saint-Antoine, Mary E. Kohart, David J. Antczak and Joanne C. Lewers for Defendant and Respondent Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.

Folger Levin & Kahn, Crowell & Moring, Beatrice Bich-Dao Nguyen, Samuel Ray Miller, Tracy E. Reichmuth, Cecilia C. Ogbu, Steven E. Wilson; Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, William Cavanaugh, Jr., and Cecilia B. Loving for Defendants and Respondents Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc., Ortho Biotech, Inc., and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Rita M. Haeusler, John M. Townsend, Scott H. Christensen, James A. Graffam; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Robert P. Reznick and David Goldstein for Defendant and Respondent Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. formerly known as Merck & Co., Inc.

Kaye Scholer, Aton Arbisser, Bryant S. Delgadillo, Saul P. Morgenstern, Karin E. Garvey; Faegre & Benson, James A. O'Neal and Kim J. Walker for Defendant and Respondent Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Nossaman, Gunther, Knox & Elliott, Nossaman, Scott DeVries, Katrina June Lee; Dickstein Shapiro, Peter J. Kadzik, Bernard Nash, Maria Colsey Heard, Milton Marquis and Andres Colin for Defendant and Respondent Pfizer Inc.

Latham & Watkins, Charles H. Samel, Jennifer A. Carmassi, Margaret M. Zwisler, Steven H. Schulman and Belinda S. Lee for Defendant and Respondent Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Arnold & Porter, Ronald C. Redcay, Douglas L. Wald, Mark R. Merley, Daniel R. Waldman, Anne P. Davis and Ryan Z. Watts for Defendant and Respondent Wyeth.


OPINION

WERDEGAR, J.

When a group of companies conspires to fix prices at higher than a competitive level, the resulting overcharge is paid in the first instance by the direct purchaser of the cartel's goods. In markets where the direct purchaser is not also the ultimate purchaser, but an intermediary between the cartel and the consumer (the indirect purchaser), several questions arise: First, who should be permitted to sue for price...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases