Miss. Supreme Court Overturns Trial Court's Order Allowing Joinder

JACKSON, Miss. - A trial court's order denying Propulsid manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutica's motion to sever and transfer the claims of four plaintiffs was overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court on May 13, after it found that the plaintiffs' claims did not arise out of the same transaction or occurrence. Janssen Pharmaceutica, et al. v. Grant, et al. No. 2003 IA-00174-SCT (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

The majority of the high court's 6-1 vote held that the trial court was incorrect in denying the manufacturer's motion based on its Feb. 19 decision in Janssen Pharmaceutica v. Armond, et al. (no. 866 So.2d 1092 …