Defendants Cite Fraudulent Joinder in Removal Notice

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The defendants named in a Kentucky chemical exposure case have removed the claims to federal court, claiming that one of the defendants named in the action had been fraudulently joined. Watkins, et al. v. Safety-Kleen Systems Inc., et al., No. n/a (E. D. Ky.).

The May 16 notice of removal, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, claims that one of the defendants stopped manufacturing the allegedly harmful products four years before the plaintiffs was exposed.

The plaintiffs argue that Gary Watkin's work as a helicopter mechanic required him to use …