Ala. Federal Judge Denies Remand After Finding No Basis for Claims Against Stryker Sales Rep

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A federal judge has denied remand in a Stryker Triathlon hip implant case after concluding that there is no reasonable basis for liability on the part of the only non-diverse defendant, an in-state sales representative.

Judge Mark E. Fuller of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama offered his reasoning for denying the remand motion in a Sept. 12 opinion, while also concluding that the case brought by Elizabeth Culpepper met the court's $75,000 jurisdictional threshold.

Culpepper, an Alabama resident, initially sued in Bullock County (Ala.) Circuit Court, alleging injuries from a failed Triathlon …