Accutane MDL Judge Severs Plaintiffs, Creates 40 Separate Cases

TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida federal judge has granted Hoffman-La Roche’s motion to sever the plaintiffs in a case recently transferred to the federal Accutane multidistrict litigation, creating 40 separate cases.

Large multi-plaintiff complaints are improper under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20(a), Judge James S. Moody Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida explained in the Oct. 2 order.

“Many federal courts hold that product liability cases are generally inappropriate for multi-plaintiff joinder because such cases involve highly individualized facts and ‘liability, causation, and damages will be different with each individual plaintiff,’” the …