Defendants Remove Case, Say Plaintiffs Engaged in 'Forum Manipulation'

PHOENIX -- Shell Oil Co., Shell Chemical and ConocoPhillips Co. have filed a joint notice of removal in a benzene case, arguing that the plaintiffs added several non-diverse defendants for the purpose of defeating diversity jurisdiction. Zendejas, et al. v. Shell Oil Co., et al., No. n/a (D. Ariz.).

In the Sept. 18 removal notice filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the defendants contend that more than one year after filing the action, and without taking any discovery from the non-diverse defendants, the companies were dismissed from the action for "no apparent reason."

"Because plaintiffs …