A jury on Friday found that Abbott Laboratories specialized formula for premature infants caused an Illinois girl to develop a dangerous bowel disease, ordering the healthcare company to pay $495 million in damages.
The verdict in St. Louis, Missouri state court comes in the first trial against the company out of hundreds of similar claims over the formula pending in courts around the country, which Reuters viewed via Courtroom View Network.
Illinois resident Margo Gill, who brought the case against Abbott, alleged that the company failed to warn that its formula could cause a potentially deadly disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature babies. The jury awarded her $95 million in compensatory damages and $400 million in punitive damages.
The jury verdict was not unanimous, and was supported by 9 of the 12 jurors in the case. To return a verdict in a civil case in Missouri, three-fourths of jurors must agree.
“Companies need to be honest about their products, about the good and the bad,” Gill’s attorney, Jack Garvey, said. “When there is a risk of using a baby formula for preterm infants, parents have a right to know what the problems are.”
Abbott said it strongly disagrees with the verdict and would try to have it overturned.
Abbott spokesman Scott Stoffel said that specialized formulas and fortifiers, like the one in this case, are among the only available options to feed premature infants.
