Philadelphia’s juries seem to be persuaded by the arguments presented by hormone therapy litigation plaintiffs in their products liability actions against a locally based pharmaceuticals giant, but the city’s judges don’t.

A ruling Wednesday by Philadelphia Common Pleas Senior Judge Ricardo C. Jackson granting the defense judgment NOV in Nelson v. Wyeth means that the first hormone therapy case to reach trial in the city’s Complex Litigation Center has effectively ended with a Wyeth victory despite a sizable jury award in favor of the plaintiffs.