Ala. Federal Judge Refuses to Remand Reclast Case to State Court

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama federal judge has denied a plaintiff’s request to remand a Reclast case to state court, finding Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: NVS) has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that more than $75,000 was in controversy at the time it removed the case from state court.

On July 2, Judge Virginia E. Hopkins of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama found this conclusion is buffered by the plaintiff’s refusal to concede that she is seeking less than the jurisdictional minimum.

Ernesteen Jones sued Novartis and 30 fictitious parties in the Jefferson …