Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_08-cv-02118/USCOURTS-cand-4_08-cv-02118-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 160
Nature of Suit: Stockholder's Suits
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Stockholders Suits

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

OAKLAND DIVISION

GREG SARANDI, Trustee of Next

Phase-Marketing, Inc. Defined Benefit

Plan and Trust, derivatively and on behalf

of Novartis AG (Novartis, Inc.),

Plaintiff,

 v.

RAYMOND BREU, et al.,

Defendants. 

No. C 08-02118 SBA

ORDER

Before the Court is plaintiff’s complaint, which states:

Venue is proper in this District. Novartis, a Swiss corporation, is located in

and conducts business in this District through its business unit Chiron, part of

Novartis Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals. Many of the acts alleged herein, including

the formulation and/or implementation of plans to promote uses of TOBI, occurred in

this District.

Docket No. ¶ 13.

Plaintiff states, however:

This action concerns the promotion of “off-label” uses of tileptal, an epilepsy

seizure medication, by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (“NPC”), a subsidiary

of Novartis headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, and potentially of TOBI, a

drug used to treat cystic fibrosis, by Chiron Corporation (“Chiron”), a business unit

of Novartis headquartered in Emeryville, California.

Id. ¶ 1 (emphasis added).

In the Complaint, plaintiff repeatedly states the action is against NPC, and potentially against TOBI.

Further, plaintiff states the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is engaged in ongoing

civil and criminal matters apparently related to plaintiff’s suit. Id. ¶ 3. No party other than Chiron

appears to have any direct connection to the Northern District of California.

Case 4:08-cv-02118-SBA Document 15 Filed 09/11/08 Page 1 of 2
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1 For counting purposes, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a)(2) shall not apply to this period.

2

ACCORDINGLY, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT all parties shall file briefs of five

pages or less, within seven days of the date of the entry of this Order,1

 stating why the Court should

or should not transfer this matter to the District of New Jersey or the Eastern District of

Pennsylvania. Further, the parties shall indicate all pending civil and criminal matters related to or

regarding this matter or the facts or events giving rise to it. Alternatively, plaintiff may withdraw

this matter and re-file it in the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, or

another district or jurisdiction more closely related to this matter or the events giving rise to it.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

September 11, 2008 _________________________________

Saundra Brown Armstrong 

United States District Judge

Case 4:08-cv-02118-SBA Document 15 Filed 09/11/08 Page 2 of 2