LTL Mgmt., LLC v. Those Parties Listed on Appendix A To Complaint (In re LTL Mgmt., LLC)

• Decision Date: 30 January 2023
• Docket Number: s. 22-2003,22-2004,22-2005,22-2006,22-2007,22-2008,22-2009,22-2010,22-2011
• Parties: IN RE: LTL MANAGEMENT, LLC, Debtor LTL Management, LLC v. Those Parties Listed on Appendix A To Complaint and John and Jane Does 1-1000 *Official Committee of Talc Claimants, Appellant in Nos. 22-2003, 22-2004 and 22-2005 *Official Committee of Talc Claimants; Patricia Cook; Evan Plotkin; Randy Derouen; Kristie Doyle, as estate representative of Dan Doyle; Katherine Tollefson; Tonya Whetsel, as estate representative of Brandon Wetsel; Giovanni Sosa; Jan Deborah Michelson-Boyle, Appellants in case Nos. 22-2006, 22-2007 and 22-2008 Arnold & Itkin LLP, on behalf of certain personal injury claimants represented by Arnold & Itkin, Appellant in case No. 22-2009 Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz PLLC, on behalf of more than three thousand holders of talc claims, Appellant in case Nos. 22-2010 and 22-2011 *(Amended per Court's Order dated 06/10/2022)
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Third Circuit

58 F.4th 738

IN RE: LTL MANAGEMENT, LLC, DebtorLTL Management, LLC

v. Those Parties Listed on Appendix A To Complaint and John and Jane Does 1-1000*Official Committee of Talc Claimants, Appellant in Nos. 22-2003, 22-2004 and 22-2005*Official Committee of Talc Claimants; Patricia Cook; Evan Plotkin; Randy Derouen; Kristie Doyle, as estate representative of Dan Doyle; Katherine Tollefson; Tonya Whetsel, as estate representative of Brandon Wetsel; Giovanni Sosa; Jan Deborah Michelson-Boyle, Appellants in case Nos. 22-2006, 22-2007 and 22-2008Arnold & Itkin LLP, on behalf of certain personal injury claimants represented by Arnold & Itkin, Appellant in case No. 22-2009Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz PLLC, on behalf of more than three thousand holders of talc claims, Appellant in case Nos. 22-2010 and 22-2011*(Amended per Court's Order dated 06/10/2022)

Nos. 22-2003

22-2004

22-2005

22-2006

22-2007

22-2008

22-2009

22-2010

22-2011

United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Argued September 19, 2022

Opinion filed: January 30, 2023

Brad J. Axelrod, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, One Rodney Square, 920 North King Street, 7^th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801, Caitlin K. Cahow, Brad B. Erens, Jones Day, 110 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4800, Chicago, IL 60606, Paul R. DeFilippo, Wollmuth, Maher & Deutsch, 500 Fifth Avenue, 12^th Floor, New York, NY 10110, Kristen R. Fournier, King & Spalding, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, Kathleen A. Frazier, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, 600 Travis Street, JP Morgan Chase Tower, Suite 3400, Houston, TX 77002, Gregory M. Gordon, Daniel B. Prieto, Mark W. Rasmussen, Amanda Rush, Jones Day, 2727 North Harwood Street, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 75201, Robert W. Hamilton, Jones Day, 901 Lakeside Avenue, North Point, Cleveland, OH 44114, James M. Jones, Jones Day, 500 Grant Street, Suite 4500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, Neal K. Katyal (Argued), Sean M. Marotta, Hogan Lovells US, 555 Thirteenth Street, N.W., Columbia Square, Washington, DC 20004, Glenn M. Kurtz, Jessica C. Lauria, White & Case, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 James N. Lawlor, Joseph F. Pacelli, Wollmuth, Maher & Deutsch, 500 Fifth Avenue, 12^th Floor, New York, NY 10110, C. Kevin Marshall, Jones Day, 51 Louisiana Avenue, N. W., Washington, DC 20001, John R. Miller, Jr., Miller, Kistler, Campbell, Miller, Williams & Benson, 124 North Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823, Matthew L. Tomsic, Rayburn, Cooper, Durham, 227 West Trade Street, Suite 1200, Charlotte, NC 28202, Lyndon M. Treeter, Wollmuth, Maher & Deutsch, 12^th Floor New York, NY 10110, Counsel for Debtor-Appellee

Melanie L. Cyganowski, Adam C. Silverstein, Otterbourg, 230 Park Avenue, 29^th Floor, New York, NY 10169, Angelo J. Genova, Genova Burns, 494 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Jeffrey A. Lamken (Argued), MoloLamken, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N. W., The Watergate, Washington, DC 20037, Jonathan S. Massey, Massey & Gail, 1000 Maine Avenue, S. W., Suite 450, Washington, DC 20024, David J. Molton, Michael S. Winograd, Brown Rudnick, 7 Times Square, 47^th Floor, New York, NY 10036, Counsel for Petitioner-Appellant Official Committee of Talc Claimants

Matthew I.W. Baker, Genova Burns, 494 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Sunni P. Beville, Shari I. Dwoskin, Jeffrey L. Jonas, Brown Rudnick, One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, Donald W. Clarke, Wasserman, Jurista & Stolz, 110 Allen Road, Suite 304, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920, Daniel Stolz, Genova Burns LLC, 110 Allen Road, Suite 304, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920, Jennifer S. Feeney, Otterbourg, 230 Park Avenue, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10169, Leonard M. Parkins, Charles M. Rubio, Parkins & Rubio, 700 Milam Street, Pennzoil Place, Suite 1300, Houston, TX 77002, Robert J. Stark, Brown Rudnick, 7 Times Square, 47th Floor, New York, New York 10036, Counsel for Petitioner Official Committee of Talc Claimants I

Ellen Relkin, Weitz & Luxemberg, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, Counsel for Petitioner Patricia Cook

Deepak Gupta, Jonathan E. Taylor, Matthew W.H. Wessler, Gupta Wessler, 2001 K Street, N.W., Suite 850 North, Washington, D.C. 20006, Counsel for Petitioners Evan Plotkin, Katherine Tollefson, Giovanni Sosa, Jan Deborah Michelson-Boyle

Jerome Block, Amber Long, Moshe Maimon, Levy Konigsberg, 605 Third Avenue, 33^rd Foor, New York, NY 10158, Counsel for Petitioner Randy Derouen

John M. August, Saiber, 18 Columbia Turnpike, Suite 200, Florham Park, NJ 07932, Counsel for Petitioner Kristie Doyle, as estate representative of Dan Doyle

Suzanne Ratcliffe, Clay Thompson, Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd, 150 West 30^th Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10001, Counsel for Petitioner Katherine Tollefson

David A. Chandler, Karst & von Oiste, 505 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777, Counsel for Petitioner Tonya Whetsel

Jeffrey M. Dine, Karen B. Dine, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, 780 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10017, Matthew Drecun, David C. Frederick (Argued), Ariela Migdal, Gregory G. Rapawy Kellogg, Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick, 1615 M Street, N.W., Sumner Square, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036, Laura D. Jones, Peter J. Keane, Colin R. Robinson, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, 919 North Market Street, P. O. Box 8705, 17^th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801, Isaac M. Pachulski, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 2300, Los Angeles, CA 00067, Counsel for Respondent Arnold & Itkin, LLP

Samuel M. Kidder, Nir Maoz, Robert J. Pfister, Michael L. Tuchin, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern, 1801 Century Park East, 26^th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067, Paul J. Winterhalter, Offit Kurman, 99 Wood Avenue South, Suite 302, Iselin, NJ 08830, Counsel for Respondent Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC

Allen J. Underwood, II, Lite, DePalma, Greenberg & Afanador, 570 Broad Street, Suite 1201, Newark, NJ 07102, Counsel for Respondent DeSanto Canadian Class Action Creditors

Mark Tsukerman, Cole Schotz, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, 19^th Floor, New York, NY 10019, Felice C. Yudkin, Cole Schotz, 25 Main Street, Court Plaza North, P.O. Box 800, Hackensack, NJ 07601, Counsel for Respondent Claimants Represented by Barnes Law Group

Arthur J. Abramowitz, Alan I. Moldoff, Ross J. Switkes, Sherman, Silverstein, Kohl, Rose & Podolsky, 308 Harper Drive, Suite 200, Eastgate Corporate Center, Moorestown, NJ 08057, Kevin W. Barrett, Maigreade B. Burrus, Bailey & Glasser, 209 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301, Thomas B. Bennett, Brian A. Glasser, Bailey & Glasser, 1055 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W., Suite 540, Washington, DC 20007, Michael Klein, Evan M. Lazerowitz, Lauren A. Reichardt, Erica J. Richards, Cullen D. Speckhart, Cooley, 55 Hudson Yards New York, NY 10001, James C. Lanik, Jennifer B. Lyday, Thomas W. Waldrep, Waldrep, Wall, Babcock & Bailey, 370 Knollwood Street, Suite 600, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, Kevin L. Sink, Waldrep, Wall, Babcock & Bailey, 3600 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 210, Raleigh, NC 27612, Counsel for Respondent Official Committee of Talc Claimants II

Lauren Bielskie, Jeffrey M. Sponder, Office of United States Trustee, 1085 Raymond Boulevard, One Newark Center, Suite 2100, Newark, NJ 07102, Sean Janda (Argued), United States Department of Justice, Appellate Section, Room 720, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20530, Counsel for Amicus Appellant United States Trustee

Cory L. Andrews, John M. Masslon, II, Washington Legal Foundation, 2009 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036, Counsel for Amicus Appellee Washington Legal Foundation

R. Craig Martin, DLA Piper, 1202 North Market Street, Suite 2100, Wilmington, DE 19801, Ilana H. Eisenstein, DLA Piper, 1650 Market Street, One Liberty Place, Suite 5000, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Counsel for Amici Appellees United States Chamber of Commerce and American Tort Reform Association

Natalie D. Ramsey, Robinson & Cole, 1650 Market Street, One Liberty Place, Suite 3030, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Counsel for Amicus Appellant Erwin Chemerinsky

Jaime A. Santos, Benjamin T. Hayes, Goodwin Procter, 1900 N. Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036, Counsel for Amici Appellees National Association of Manufacturers and Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc.

Sean E. O'Donnell, Stephen B. Selbst, Steven B. Smith, Herrick Feinstein, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, Counsel for Amici Appellants Kenneth Ayotte, Susan Block-Lieb, Jared Ellias, Bruce A. Markell, Yesha Yadav, Robert K. Rasmussen and Diane Lourdes Dick

Peter M. Friedman, O'Melveny & Myers, 1625 Eye Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 2006, Emma L. Persson, Laura L. Smith, Esq. O'Melveny & Myers, 2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 1700, Dallas, TX 75201, Daniel S. Shamah, O'Melveny & Myers, 7 Times Square, Time Square Tower, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10036, Counsel for Amici Appellees Samir Parikh, Anthony Casey, Joshua C. Macey and Edward Morrison

Glen Chappell, Allison W. Parr, Hassan A. Zavareei, Tycko & Zavareei, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20006, Counsel for Amicus Appellant Public Justice

Jeffrey R. White, American Association for Justice, 777 6th Street, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, DC 20001, Counsel for Amicus Appellant American Association of Justice

Thomas A. Pitta, Emmet, Marvin & Martin, 120 Broadway, 32^nd Floor, New York, NY 10005, Counsel for Amici Appellants Maria Glover, Andrew Bradt, Brooke Coleman, Robin Effron, D. Theodore Rave, Alan M. Trammell, and Adam Zimmerman

Before AMBRO, RESTREPO, and FUENTES, Circuit Judges

OPINION OF THE COURT

AMBRO, Circuit Judge Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. ("Old Consumer"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson ("J&J"), sold healthcare products with iconic names branded on consumers' consciousness—Band-Aid, Tylenol, Aveeno, and Listerine, to list but a few. It also produced Johnson's Baby Powder, equally recognizable for well over a century as a skincare product. Its base was talc, a mineral mined and milled into a fine powder. Concerns that the talc contained traces of asbestos spawned in recent years a torrent of...