MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court says patients cannot sue the makers of defective medical devices if they are approved for sale by federal regulators.
The court ruled against a man who had a defibrillator implanted and then removed after the manufacturer, Medtronic, Inc., warned its battery had a chance of failing.
The device had been approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and was never recalled.
Joseph Blunt, Sr. of St. Francis filed a lawsuit against the company alleging negligence and other claims after he had surgery to remove the device.
The court says the lawsuit is barred by a federal law and by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that threw out a similar case against Minneapolis-based Medtronic.