We’d thought, because that’s what we’d seen, that subject-matter jurisdiction/fraudulent joinder issues in would-be diversity cases in federal court are to be decided early in the litigation. Turns out that’s not necessarily so – at least according to the Second Circuit’s recent decision in a Zyprexa case, Brown v. Eli Lilly & Co., ___ F.3d ___, 2011 WL 3625105, slip op. (2d Cir. Aug. 18, 2011).

Brown was originally filed in Mississippi state court, and the plaintiff purported to bring negligent discharge claims against two local hospitals – along with the usual Zyprexa allegations – in order to destroy diversity and keep the case out of federal court.