Judge Moves FDA Case From Texas Court, Deepening Venue Showdown

A nicotine pouch manufacturer’s lawsuit against the FDA should be immediately sent to a North Carolina court, a Texas federal judge ruled, despite a new local rule that pauses case transfers.

US District Judge Mark Pittman in Fort Worth on Monday said Fontem US LLC’s case is better-suited to be heard in the Middle District of North Carolina, where the manufacturer’s headquarters is located. Government attorneys on March 19 had asked the litigation be sent there, or to federal courts in Washington, DC, or Maryland. Fontem opposed that request.

The dispute is the latest in a venue tug-of-war as Pittman ...