Akkerman

MEMORANDUM *

Plaintiffs (“the Akkermans”) allege that as a result of electroconvulsive therapy (“ECT” or “shock treatment”) administered by his psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Johnson, Atze Akkerman (“Akkerman”) suffered substantial amnesia, including loss of his knowledge and memories of his wife and children and loss of his ability to write, play and perform music. Defendant Mecta Corp. (“Mecta”) manufactured the shock treatment device that was used to administer treatments to Akkerman.

The Akkermans allege that Dr. Johnson informed them that Akkerman required shock treatment and that “although it might cause some limited memory loss, it only eliminated unhappy or depressing memories [and] that Mr. Akkerman’s full memory would be restored in a short time but that he would no longer feel depressed.” The shock treatments were administered throughout January 2000. Following the treatments, Akkerman was disoriented and could not remember the events of his life or recognize those close to him. In February, 2000, unable to return to work as expected, Akkerman contacted Dr. Johnson and sought from him a letter that would explain the reason Akkerman was unable to perform his job. On February…