Zoloft Birth Defects Case Remanded to W.Va. State Court

WHEELING, W.Va. — A West Virginia federal judge has remanded a Zoloft birth defects case involving 19 plaintiffs to state court, ruling that the nondiverse plaintiffs were not fraudulently joined because their claims are logically related and arise from the same series of transactions or occurrences.

On Sept. 25, Judge Robert C. Chambers of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia remanded the case to the Wayne County (W.Va.) Circuit Court.

The 18 cases at issue were initially brought through a single complaint against Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), a New York resident; Roerig, a division of Pfizer; …