Talcum Powder Defendants Oppose Plaintiff Objections to Transfer of Claims to MDL, Say Remand is Not a ‘Forgone Conclusion’

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– A number of defendants named in two Missouri talcum powder lawsuits that were removed to federal court and noticed for transfer to the national coordinated docket for such claims have backed their removal of the suits, maintaining that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has “consistently” held that a pending motion to remand is in an insufficient basis to vacate a conditional transfer order.

In an opposition brief filed in the JPML on Dec. 22, Johnson & Johnson and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. further explained that any remand motion should be decided by the …