United States Ninth Circuit

FRCP 9(b)'s particularity requirement applies to state law cause of action in a diversity case, and where fraud is not an essential element of a claim, only allegations of fraudulent conduct must satisfy those heightened pleading requirements. Allegations of conspiracy to increase prescription drug prices did not satisfy Rule 9(b).

Appellate Information

• Argued 03/08/2002
• Decided 01/31/2003
• Published 01/31/2003

Judges

• Before WARDLAW, W. FLETCHER, Circuit Judges, and WHYTE, District Judge.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Donald F. Hildre and Peggy Reali, Dougherty, Hildre, Dudek & Haklar, San Diego, CA;  John P. Coale and Julia McInerny, Coale, Cooley, Lietz & McInerny, Washington, DC;  Richard F. Scruggs, Sidney A. Backstrom and Robin Reid Boswell, Scruggs Legas, Pascagoula, MS;  Marc C. Saperstein and Kevin Decie, Davis, Saperstein & Solomon, Teaneck, NJ;  C. Andrews Waters, Waters & Kraus, Dallas, TX, for the plaintiffs-appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Roxanne M. Wilson, Arter & Hadden LLP, Los Angeles, CA;  James A. O'Neal, Bruce Jones, Joseph M. Price, and Bridget M. Ahmann, Faegre & Benson LLP, Minneapolis, MN, for defendants-appellees Ciba-Geigy/Novartis., Edward D. Chapin, Chapin, Shea, McNitt & Carter, San Diego, CA;  Gerald D.C. Zingone, Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC, Washington, DC, for defendant-appellee Children and Adults With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder., David J. Noonan, Post Kirby Noonan & Sweat, San Diego, CA;  Luther Ziegler, William L. Anderson and Laurel Pyke Malson, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, DC, for defendant-appellee American Psychiatric Association.