Estate of Ravizza v. St. Judge Medical CA2/4

Filed 1/23/26 Estate of Ravizza v. St. Judge Medical CA2/4 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

ESTATE OF KENNETH RAVIZZA B338865 et al., (Los Angeles County Plaintiffs and Appellants, Super. Ct. No. 20STCV21744)

v.

ST. JUDE MEDICAL, LLC et al.,

Defendants and Respondents.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, David Reinert, Judge. Reversed and remanded with directions. Greene Broillet & Wheeler, Scott H. Carr, Geoffrey S. Wells and Jenna D. Edzant; Esner, Chang, Boyer & Murphy, Stuart B. Esner and Kevin K. Nguyen for Plaintiffs and Appellants. Mayer Brown, Daniel L. Ring, Gina Aiello, Anastasiya Lobacheva, Joseph J. Vescera and Michael A. Scodro for Defendants and Respondents.

INTRODUCTION In October 2011, Kenneth Ravizza received an “implantable cardioverter defibrillator,” or “ICD,” a medical device used to correct abnormal heart rhythms. In July 2018, Ravizza suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while driving. His estate and family sued the manufacturers of Ravizza’s ICD, claiming the ICD malfunctioned due to a manufacturing defect. Respondents St. Jude Medical, LLC (St. Jude) and Pacesetter, Inc. (Pacesetter) moved for summary judgment, arguing Ravizza’s ICD had no manufacturing defect. St. Jude and Pacesetter supported the motion in part with testimony from an expert witness, who relied on a report from an inspection of the ICD conducted by St. Jude. In response, plaintiffs asked the court to continue the hearing on the motion so they could have their own expert inspect the ICD. The trial court denied this request and granted summary judgment. We conclude the trial court erred in failing to grant the continuance, and therefore reverse.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Ravizza was a sports psychologist who worked with and for several Major League Baseball teams. In 2011, his surgeon, Matthew Ostrom, implanted an ICD. When functioning properly, an ICD senses abnormal heart rhythms and either sends electrical signals to put the patient’s heart back on pace, or else administers a shock to trigger a more significant change in rhythm. Ravizza enjoyed seven years of good health, with no sign of further cardiac issues. During this time, his ICD appeared to be in perfect working order. However, in 2018, he suffered a cardiac arrest while driving and died,