Pa. Cases Remanded to State Court in Preterm Infant Formula MDL

CHICAGO — The judge overseeing the preterm infant formula MDL docket has granted motions to remand filed by Pennsylvania plaintiffs in cases that include negligence claims against in-state hospitals, ruling that they have a reasonable possibility of prevailing against the non-diverse defendants.

In an Oct. 12 order, Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois rejected defendants’ contention that the hospitals were fraudulently joined.

Plaintiffs in the MDL are parents of premature infants who allegedly developed necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) after ingesting infant formula manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson & Company LLC and …