Federal Judge Rules Responsive Pleading Too Ambiguous; Reprimands Attorneys for GlaxoSmithKline

CHICAGO-A federal judge issued a scathing memorandum directed at attorneys for GlaxoSmithKline, noting discrepancies of its responsive pleading to a products liability action involving the drug Baycol. Baumann v. Bayer AG, et al., No. 02c2351 (N.D. Ill.)

Senior United States District Judge Milton I. Shadur of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered the responsive pleading be stricken from the record and attorneys submit an amended version of the document. The June 4 memorandum stated the responsive pleadings did not comply with guidelines established in the appendix to State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Co. v. …