GSK Consented to Personal Jurisdiction in Mo. by Appointing Agent for Service of Process, Federal Magistrate Judge Rules

CHICAGO — GlaxoSmithKline has consented to personal jurisdiction in Missouri by registering to do business and appointing an agent for service of process in the state, a federal magistrate judge has ruled in a Paxil birth defect action.

However, in the Feb. 23 order, Magistrate Judge David Noce of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri transferred the action to the Northern District of Illinois, noting that the parties have agreed that it is the more convenient forum.

Illinois resident Christine Chalkey took Paxil in 1995 while pregnant with her son Jacob, who was born on Dec. …