Court Denies Motion to Amend Complaint to Add In-State Defendant

GULFPORT, Miss. - A Mississippi federal court has denied a plaintiff's motion to add an in-state defendant to a wrongful death action against the makers of the antidepressant Paxil. Torrence, et al. v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., et al., No. 3:05-cv-25 (S.D. Miss.).

Judge William H. Barbour Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi denied the motion by Amanda Torrence on June 6, concluding that the primary purpose of plaintiff's proposed amendment was to defeat federal jurisdiction.

Mississippi resident Amanda Torrence sued GlaxoSmithKline and 'Jane Doe MD' in the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District …