Pfizer Defendants' Attorney-Client Privilege Claims Overbroad, Plaintiffs Say

SAN FRANCISCO - Plaintiffs in the federal Bextra/Celebrex MDL have asserted that Pfizer Inc.'s and other corporate defendants' attorney-client privilege claims are overbroad, contending that the companies failed to apply certain transferor states' 'control group tests' when designating material as privileged. In Re: Bextra and Celebrex Marketing, Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1699 (N.D. Calif.).

On Jan. 19, the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking a recommendation from Special Master Fern M. Smith that the control group tests apply to documents produced by Pfizer, G.D. …