Bayer fights Missouri lawsuit over birth control implant

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An attorney for chemical manufacturer Bayer is fighting a Missouri lawsuit over one of its birth-control products, arguing the case does not belong in the state.

Bayer attorney Jonathan Cohn asked Missouri Supreme Court judges Tuesday to dismiss claims by non-Missouri residents or split them off from the case. Only seven Missouri residents are among the 92 women suing Bayer for alleged medical complications from Essure, an implant that permanently prevents pregnancy.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty ruled in 2016 the lawsuit could proceed in Missouri. Plaintiffs argue the case belongs in Missouri because of clinical trials in the state and a national marketing campaign based in Missouri.

Supreme Court judge Laura Denvir Stith seemed unconvinced and questioned what ties the out-of-state residents' complaints have to Missouri.