Removal On Eve Of Trial ‘Objectively Unreasonable’; Judge Remands, Awards Fees

(August 30, 2016, 12:41 PM EDT) -- SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in California on Aug. 22 remanded an asbestos case and awarded attorney fees, rejecting an argument that the plaintiffs joined defendants simply to defeat removal, finding the argument “so flawed as to be objectively unreasonable” and saying removal so close to trial suggested bad faith on the defendant’s part (James Angus, et al. v. John Crane Inc., No. 16-3532, N.D. Calif.; 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 111702)....