Welcome to St. Louis, the New Hot Spot for Litigation Tourists

Deborah Giannecchini began using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for feminine hygiene as a teenager in California in 1967 and continued for 45 years until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Giannecchini, who lives in Modesto, Calif., used the product only in that state. When her lawyers filed a lawsuit against J&J, a New Jersey-based company, they did so in a state court in St. Louis.

Hundreds of plaintiffs with product liability claims against J&J, Bayer, Pfizer, General Motors, and other big companies have been flocking to downtown St. Louis to a venue that over the past three years has developed a reputation for fast trials, favorable rulings, and big awards. Traditionally, Giannecchini’s claim would have been sent to federal court or filed in a local court in a jurisdiction where she or the defendant lives. Giannecchini and other plaintiffs are taking advantage of a quirk in Missouri law that allows out-of-state plaintiffs to combine their claims with those of local residents. As long as one plaintiff in the suit resides in St. Louis and another in the home state of the defendant, dozens of cases with similar claims can be combined before one Missouri judge.