Judge Refuses to Dismiss Non-Resident Oxycontin Claims

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A state court judge has refused to dismiss most of the nearly 1,000 Oxycontin product liability claims consolidated in his New York court, rejecting a defense argument that the vast majority were filed by plaintiffs who don't reside in the state. In RE: Oxycontin Litigation, No. 70000/05 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., Richmond Cty.).

Richmond County Supreme Court Justice Joseph L. Maltese said in a Jan. 19 opinion that dismissing the non-resident claims would obviate the goal of streamlining the discovery process before one judge and possibly prejudice plaintiffs who, if forced to re-file claims in their resident …