Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_12-cv-08223/USCOURTS-azd-3_12-cv-08223-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Product Liability

---

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

 WO 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Paul Schenk, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, 

Defendant.

No. CV-12-08223-PCT-NVW

ORDER 

 

 Before the Court is the parties’ joint Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal Without 

Prejudice (Doc. 114) pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

The parties’ joint Stipulation will be rejected for failure to comply with Rule 41 and as 

inconsistent with the rules and procedures underlying multidistrict litigation. 

 Under Rule 41, a plaintiff's right to dismiss an action without a court order is 

subject to "any applicable federal statute." Fed. R. Civ. P. 41. The statute governing 

multidistrict litigation, 28 U.S.C. § 1407, is such a statute. In re Zicam Cold Remedy 

Mktg., Sales Practices, & Products Liab. Litig., 09-MD-2096 PHX-FJM, 2010 WL 

3402490 (D. Ariz. Aug. 26, 2010). 

 This case was first filed 2007 and was one of many cases that took part in a 

consolidated pretrial multidistrict litigation proceeding. In September 2012, it was 

remanded back to its original court of filing pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407(a). Section 

1407(a) exists to "promote the just and efficient" resolution of cases such as this. Id. To 

allow the parties to dismiss this action without prejudice and leave this case open to 

refiling at this stage in the litigation would waste seven years of considerable court 

Case 3:12-cv-08223-NVW Document 116 Filed 08/27/14 Page 1 of 2
- 2 - 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

resources and allow the unilateral actions of the parties to undermine the efficiency of the 

MDL process. In re Zicam Cold Remedy Mktg., 09-MD-2096 PHX-FJM, 2010 WL 

3402490. Accordingly, the parties’ joint Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal Without 

Prejudice (Doc. 114) will be rejected. 

 The parties are reminded that their Supplemental Briefs and Statement of Facts 

pursuant to Court Order (Doc. 113) filed August 20, 2014, are due by end of the day 

today, Wednesday, August 27, 2014. 

 IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that parties’ joint Stipulation of Voluntary 

Dismissal Without Prejudice (Doc. 114) pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) is rejected. 

 DATED this 27th day of August, 2014. 

Case 3:12-cv-08223-NVW Document 116 Filed 08/27/14 Page 2 of 2