Zoloft MDL Judge Remands Action Involving 40 Plaintiffs to Missouri State Court

PHILADELPHIA — The judge overseeing the Zoloft multidistrict litigation in Pennsylvania has remanded to Missouri state court an action involving 40 plaintiffs from 29 states, ruling that the non-Missouri plaintiffs were not fraudulently joined to defeat diversity.

In a Nov. 17 order, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania added that this ruling is in line with numerous Missouri federal court decisions.

In this action, 41 plaintiff families from 29 different states filed a single lawsuit in the St. Louis (Mo.) Circuit Court, alleging that Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), a prescription antidepressant, causes …