Cases on BigLaw partner's suicide, school’s trans bathroom policy turned down by Supreme Court
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The U.S. Supreme Court has left intact a federal appeals court ruling against the widow of a Reed Smith partner who blamed antidepressant labeling for her husband’s suicide.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago had overturned a $3 million award to Wendy Dolin, who alleged that GlaxoSmithKline should have warned of an increased suicide risk for people who take its antidepressant Paxil. Dolin’s husband, Stewart Dolin—a partner at Reed Smith—was taking paroxetine, a generic version of Paxil, when he died by suicide in 2010.
The 7th Circuit had ruled in August that Dolin couldn’t sue because wording on the drug labels was mandated by the Food and Drug Administration. The Supreme Court denied certiorari in the case Tuesday, the National Law Journal reports.
In another case Tuesday, the high court denied certiorari in a challenge to a Pennsylvania school district policy regarding use of bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender students. The policy allowed the students to use facilities that correspond to their gender identity.
The 3rd Circuit at Philadelphia had upheld the policy in a challenge by students supported by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit legal organization. The students had alleged violation of their constitutional right to privacy and constructive violation of their right to educational benefits under Title IX. The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, Reuters and the Reading Eagle have coverage.
The cases are Dolin v. GlaxoSmithKline and Doe v. Boyertown Area School District.
