MDL Judge Dismisses Talcum Powder Cases for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

TRENTON, N.J. — A federal judge has dismissed three talcum powder MDL complaints that were originally filed in Rhode Island state court for lack of personal jurisdiction, explaining that defendants Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. are not essentially “at home” in the state.

In a Feb. 9 order, Judge Michael A. Shipp of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey noted that plaintiffs failed to allege defendants Johnson & Johnson and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. are incorporated in Rhode Island or that Rhode Island is their principal place of business.

Plaintiffs, who …