Does J&J Have a Patriot Coal Problem?
J&J has put its Talc subsidiary into bankruptcy in North Carolina. Trick is, the only basis for venue in North Carolina is that the talc assets were put into a Texas LLC this past Tuesday, and then that Texas LLC converted into a North Carolina LLC the same day.
Put to one side the problematic question of how the talc assets (and liabilities) ended up in the Texas LLC – what is the reason for the conversion to a North Carolina LLC? It seems to be a rather transparent attempt to manufacture jurisdiction in North Carolina.
Arguably venue should be transferred to Texas. Perhaps the Western District of Texas – not that other Texas district – since J&J's only clear connection with Texas is incorporation ...
Here's the link to the corporate filings with the NC Secretary of State:
https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/search/Business_Registration_Results
Posted by: Ed Boltz | October 15, 2021 at 11:27 AM