Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-05942/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-05942-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 367
Nature of Suit: TORTS - Personal Injury - Health Care/Pharmaceutical Personal Injury/Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Product Liability

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IN RE: ROUNDUP PRODUCTS 

LIABILITY LITIGATION

MDL No. 2741

Case No. 16-md-02741-VC

This document relates to: 

Dalby v. Monsanto Co., 19-cv-5925

Lockwood Fleischer v. Monsanto Co., 19-cv-5931

Franco v. Monsanto Co., 19-cv-5940

Wise v. Monsanto Co., 19-cv-5942

PRETRIAL ORDER NO. 179:

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

The plaintiffs in these related cases are ordered to show cause why they should not be 

sanctioned for filing multi-plaintiff complaints directly in the Northern District of California. 

The complaints join non-California plaintiffs despite an apparent lack of personal jurisdiction 

over their claims. See Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California, San Francisco 

County, 137 S. Ct. 1773, 1781-83 (2017). In addition, the claim that venue is proper under 28 

U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2) appears frivolous on its face. And absent some factual connection between 

the parties or location of exposure to Roundup, the joinder of these disparately located plaintiffs 

under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20 borders on frivolous. Finally, in this MDL, each 

plaintiff must file a separate short-form complaint to participate. See Pretrial Order No. 155, Dkt. 

No. 4454. The attorney for these plaintiffs, Daniel Burke, is well aware of this requirement from 

past experience. See Jimenez v. Monsanto Co., No. 3:19-cv-3438-VC. Unless there is some basis 

to believe these plaintiffs do not belong in this MDL, the filing of these multi-plaintiff 

complaints will inevitably require all but one plaintiff from each case to file a notice of dismissal 

and to refile another case, thereby unreasonably multiplying the proceedings.

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For these reasons, the plaintiffs are ordered to show cause why they should not be 

sanctioned pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, 29 U.S.C. § 1927, and/or the Court’s 

inherent authority for filing these complaints. The plaintiffs must file a joint written response to 

this order by October 8, 2019. If the defendants wish to file a response, they may do so by 

October 15, 2019. The Court will schedule a hearing on the order to show cause if necessary 

following review of the written submissions.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 1, 2019

______________________________________

VINCE CHHABRIA

United States District Judge

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