Johnson & Johnson v. Kaufman

Ruffin, Judge.

Gary Kaufman, individually and as executor of the estate of Amy Kaufman, his deceased wife, sued Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) and Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc. (“Janssen”), alleging that his wife died as the result of taking the drug Hismanal, an antihistamine prescribed to her for allergies. Janssen, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of J&J, manufactures, markets and distributes Hismanal in the United States. Hismanal is also manufactured and distributed internationally through numerous other J&J subsidiaries. Kaufman contends that at the time of his wife’s death, the defendants…