The drugmaker aimed to move the lawsuits to federal court so it could forge a single defense strategy.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed J&J’s request, arguing that the drugmaker is partially responsible for the “bloomlet of litigation,” according to the report.
“J&J’s desire to centralize its own state law litigation does not justify the finding of an emergency” requiring immediate transfer, she added in her 11-page ruling.
J&J is facing 14,000 claims that its talc products contained traces of asbestos, which caused people’s ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.
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