Alabama Law Governs Punitive Damages Claim in Tylenol Case, Pa. Federal Judge Rules

PHILADELPHIA — Alabama law governs punitive damages claims asserted against Johnson & Johnson and McNeil PPC Inc. in a Tylenol wrongful death case, a Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled, explaining that Alabama has more significant contacts with the decedent and her injuries.

In a May 20 order, Judge Lawrence F. Stengel of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania explained that “as the place of injury, domicile of the decedent, and location of the parties' relationship, Alabama has a greater interest in having its law applied in light of its longstanding policy to protect its citizens from …