Johnson v. ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP et al

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
WESTERN DISVISION
DEBRA JOHNSON,
Plaintiff,
v.
ASTRAZENECA
PHARMACEUTICALS LP,
ASTRAZENECA LP, MERCK
SHARP & DOHME LLC, THE
PROCTOR & GAMBLE
COMPANY, PROCTOR &
GAMBLE MANUFACTURING
COMPANY,
Defendants.
Case No. 2:26-cv-2781-BCL-atc
ORDER GRANTING VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL
______________________________________________________________________________
Before the Court is Plaintiff’s Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal pertaining to her claims
against Defendant AstraZeneca LP. Doc. 32. The stipulation purports to dismiss without prejudice
all claims asserted against this Defendant. Id. They do not extend to the claims against Defendants
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, The Proctor & Gamble Company,
Proctor & Gamble Manufacturing Company. Id.
Dismissal of claims against fewer than all parties in a multi-defendant case is not
appropriate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41. See Philip Carey Manufacturing Company
v. Taylor, 286 F.2d 782, 785 (6th Cir. 1961); United States ex rel. Doe v. Preferred Care, Inc., 326
F.R.D. 462 (E.D. Ky. 2018). But the Court construes filings "by their substantive content and not
by their labels," and, therefore, the Court will consider the stipulation of dismissal as a motion to
drop a party under Rule 21. See id.
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So construed, the Motion is GRANTED. All claims against Defendant AstraZeneca LP
are DISMISSED without prejudice. The claims against Defendants AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
LP, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, The Proctor & Gamble Company, and Proctor & Gamble
Manufacturing Company are not dismissed.
IT IS SO ORDERED, this 13h day of October, 2026.
s/ Brian C. Lea
BRIAN C. LEA
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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