Louisiana Judge Deems Removal of 12-Year-Old Radiation Exposure Suit Proper

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has retained jurisdiction over a 500-plaintiff radiation exposure suit that has been pending in state court for more than a decade but was removed recently to federal court after plaintiffs in a newly filed wrongful death action requested that their claim be consolidated with the case.

In an Oct. 23 opinion, Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled that the plaintiffs’ mere proposal to have the cases consolidated was sufficient to meet requirements for removal under the Class Action Fairness Act.

The decision, which Judge …