Plaintiffs Oppose Proposal Permitting MDL Judge to Address Remand Motions

PHILADELPHIA -- Plaintiffs have opposed a recent proposal that would allow the court overseeing the federal asbestos MDL to continue to rule on motions to remand, contending that transferring the cases for a determination on jurisdiction would create "inordinate expense and delay." In Re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (E.D. Pa.).

In the Feb. 7 opposition brief filed with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the plaintiffs contend that "uniform holdings in remand motions" was not one of the driving forces behind the creation of the coordinated docket.

In December, Crane Co. asked the JPML …