In a win for government regulators suing over consumer fraud, a bankruptcy judge allowed the states of New Mexico and Mississippi to appeal his order staying their lawsuits over Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder.

Earlier this year, U.S. Bankruptcy Chief Judge Michael Kaplan of the District of New Jersey extended the automatic stay in Johnson & Johnson subsidiary LTL Management’s Chapter 11 case to include all talc lawsuits.

Chief Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan (Courtesy photo) Chief Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan (Courtesy photo)