Questions Regarding Plaintiffs' Citizenship Prompts Manufacturer's Removal Notice

NEW ORLEANS-A Louisiana woman's wrongful death action filed against the makers of Oxycontin should be heard in federal court because the plaintiffs' failed to mention her citizenship, the manufacturer claims. Gooch v. Purdue Pharma, L. P., No. 02-2932 (E.D. La.).

According to the Sept. 24 removal notice, the plaintiffs are the family members of Richard Barrett, who died shortly after 'a regularly scheduled appointment' at a Veterans' Administration Hospital in New Orleans after allegedly ingesting Oxycontin. The manufacturer assumes that the plaintiffs are citizens of Louisiana and argues that diversity jurisdiction exists because 'there is no indication that Plaintiffs are …