$60 Million Verdict Against Reckitt Benckiser Unit In Illinois Enfamil Case

In a significant legal development, an Illinois jury has ruled against Reckitt Benckiser unit Mead Johnson, ordering it to pay $60 million to the mother of a premature baby who tragically died after consuming the company's Enfamil baby formula, Brendan Pierson reported for Reuters.

The jury determined that Mead Johnson was negligent and failed to adequately warn consumers about the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). I Photo: Enfamil Facebook

The jury, convened in an Illinois state court in St. Clair County, determined that Mead Johnson was negligent and failed to adequately warn consumers about the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a severe intestinal disease.

NEC is particularly prevalent among premature newborns and has a mortality rate ranging from 15% to 40%.

The $60 million verdict includes compensation for Jasmine Watson, the plaintiff and mother of the deceased infant named Chance Dean. This award accounts for Watson's loss, grief, and her baby's pain and suffering.

This case marks the first trial among hundreds of lawsuits alleging that Enfamil and similar formulas manufactured by Abbott Laboratories' Similac caused NEC. The US National Institutes of Health has indicated that formula feeding may elevate the risk of NEC in premature infants compared to breastfeeding, adding weight to the plaintiffs' claims.

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