District Judge Denies Plaintiffs' Motion to Remand OxyContin Case to State Court

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A federal judge has found that the possibility of attorney's fees and punitive damages coupled with the plaintiffs' claims for damages in an OxyContin case exceeded the statutory minimum necessary to remand the case to state court, and has retained the case in federal court. Erma Gevedon, et al. v. Purdue Pharma, et al., No. 02-08 (E.D. Ky., Pikeville Div.).

Judge Danny C. Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued an order and opinion March 26 denying the plaintiffs' motion to remand. That despite the plaintiffs' stipulation in their amended complaint …