Drywall MDL Plaintiffs’ Defamation Suit Against Retrieval Co. Transferred to Calif.

NEW ORLEANS — A defamation lawsuit filed by plaintiffs’ counsel in the Chinese drywall MDL has been transferred from Louisiana to California, where it is alleged that a representative of a document retrieval company made disparaging comments about the lawyers after obtaining a judgment against them.

Judge Eldon E. Fallon ruled Sept. 19 that defendant Cataphora Inc. has insufficient ties with Louisiana to keep the case there, even though the dispute originated from a contract the attorneys entered into with Cataphora to provide services for the drywall MDL proceedings in New Orleans.

Russ M. Herman and Arnold Levin, lead …