A federal judge in Camden, N.J., has remanded to state court 15 suits over birth defects in children born to mothers who took Forest Laboratories’ antidepressants Celexa and Lexapro for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler rejected the defendants’ assertion that federal jurisdiction is proper because the cases require the court to address questions about the Food and Drug Administration’s labeling of the drugs. Kugler also rejected the defendants’ claims that defendant Forest Research Institute of Jersey City was fraudulently joined as a defendant.
