Calif. Federal Judge Remands Amiodarone Actions for Lack of Federal Question Jurisdiction

SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge has remanded two amiodarone actions involving 113 plaintiffs to state court for lack of federal question jurisdiction, explaining they fail to raise a substantial federal issue that is capable of being tried in federal court without disrupting the federal-state balance.

On Aug. 23, Judge Maxine M. Chesney of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found the plaintiffs’ state law claims can be supported by a theory independent of any violation of federal law or regulation.

Plaintiffs allege that after ingesting amiodarone hydrochloride to treat their atrial fibrillation, they sustained …