MDL Panel Sends Bextra & Celebrex Litigation to N.D. Cal.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has consolidated the Bextra and Celebrex products liability cases filed in various federal districts (Texas, Michigan, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York) and transferred them to the Northern District of California. Reasoning that the geographic dispersal of the constituent actions suggested no district as a geographic focal point for the cases, the court selected Judge Charles R. Breyer of N.D. Cal. to handle the litigation because he is a "judge with the time and experience to steer this complex litigation on a prudent course."

The Transfer Order, filed on September 6, 2005, can be found by visiting http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/MDL-1699-TransferOrder.pdf.