California Court Has Jurisdiction Over Non-Residents’ Plavix Claims, State Appeals Court Rules

SAN FRANCISCO — A California state court has jurisdiction over claims brought by non-residents against Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. in a Plavix coordinated proceeding because the drug maker has engaged in substantial, continuous activity in California, a state appellate court has ruled.

In a July 30 opinion, the California Court of Appeal, 1st District, explained that BMS’s activity is substantially connected to claims by non-residents, which are based on the same alleged wrongdoing as those alleged by resident plaintiffs.

BMS was sued in a coordinated proceeding before the San Francisco County Superior Court for alleged defects in its blood-thinning drug Plavix, …