Pa. Court Sustains Imerys Talc America’s Preliminary Objections to Jurisdiction in Talc Case

PITTSBURGH –– A Pennsylvania state court has sustained preliminary objections in a talcum powder case, finding that it could not exercise jurisdiction over Imerys Talc America simply for its decision to fill out paperwork required for a foreign corporation to do business in the state.

In the Nov. 8 order, the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Allegheny County found that under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Daimler, Imerys Talc America is not subject to the personal jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

In reaching the decision, the state court opined that Imerys’ “affiliations with this state are not continuous and systematic …