HARRISBURG – A Stewartstown woman alleges her late husband's insulin pump malfunctioned and caused his death.
Donna Rietschy, individually and as representative of the estate of David Rietschy, filed a complaint on Nov. 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against Medtronic Minimed Inc., Minimed Distribution Corp., Medtronic Inc. and Medtronic USA Inc. alleging negligence and other counts.
According to the complaint, David Rietschy managed his diabetes through the use of insulin pump therapy and was using the defendants' Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Insulin Pump and insulin reservoirs and insulin infusion sets.
The suit states he died June 2015 after being transported to a hospital due to issues from elevated blood glucose levels, which caused brain damage. The plaintiff alleges that the defendants' insulin pump malfunctioned and caused an under delivery of insulin to David Rietschy.
The plaintiff holds Medtronic Minimed Inc., Minimed Distribution Corp., Medtronic Inc. and Medtronic USA Inc. responsible because the defendants allegedly designed the products in a manner that caused them to fail and failed to property test them.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks noneconomic damages, economic damages, exemplary or punitive damages, interest, court costs, and any further relief the court grants. She is represented by Dean E. Reynosa of Griest, Himes, Herrold, Reynosa LLP in York and Charles R. Houssiere III of Houssiere Durant & Houssiere LLP in Houston, Texas.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania case number 1:17-cv-02190-JEJ