$3,300,000 Settlement in Product Liability Action Against Manufacturer of Insulin Pump

The plaintiff was a diabetic who relied on an insulin pump to provide him with timely infusions of insulin. The pump also was supposed to provide an audible and vibrate warning in the event the infusion catheter became kinked or occluded. The plaintiff alleged the pump’s alarm systems failed after the infusion catheter became kinked. As a result, the plaintiff unknowingly went into diabetic ketoacidosis and later multi system organ failure. The plaintiff ultimately suffered serious injuries to his heart and vision. The defendant alleged it was not liable because the pump operated as well as it could under the state of the art at the time it was designed and that plaintiff was negligent for not timely checking his blood sugar levels. After extensive litigation on many issues the case settled shortly before trial.