Louisiana Court Remands Asbestos Cosmetic Talc Action, Rejects Improper Joinder Argument

NEW ORLEANS –– A Louisiana federal court has remanded an asbestos cosmetic talcum powder case, rejecting Johnson & Johnson’s position that the plaintiffs had fraudulently joined an in-state defendant and concluding that it could not conclude with any degree of certainty that the plaintiff had no possibility of recovery against the resident company.

In the May 17 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana also opined that the case is in its infancy and the plaintiff will need discovery to “flesh out her claims against all of the defendants,” including the in-state one.

Plaintiff Marilyn Rousseau …