Bruesewitz v. Wyeth

Hannah Bruesewitz of Mount Lebanon, PA received Wyeth’s DTP vaccine as part of childhood immunizations. The Bruesewitzes claimed that Hannah’s seizures and later developmental problems came from the vaccine.  The Supreme Court held, 13 years ago, that the “plaintiffs design defect claims [were] expressly preempted by the Vaccine Act.” Thus, the court affirmed laws that vaccine manufacturers are not liable for vaccine-induced injury or death if they are “accompanied by proper directions and warnings.”