In a case that could redefine accountability for baby formula makers, a Missouri jury was urged to hold Abbott and Reckitt’s Mead Johnson accountable for over $6 billion in damages. The suit, brought by a mother on behalf of her son, centers on allegations that the companies’ formula for premature infants triggered a life-altering intestinal disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. The closing arguments concluded a five-week trial in St. Louis.
The plaintiff’s representative, Tim Cronin, passionately argued that Abbott and Reckitt failed to warn healthcare providers and families about the potential for NEC, which left the young boy, Kaine, with lifelong health and developmental issues after being fed the formula in 2017 at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Companies must unequivocally disclose all risks, especially when lives as fragile as these are at stake,” Cronin asserted.
Cronin called for nearly $277 million in compensatory damages for Kaine’s healthcare and suffering, in addition to $5 billion in punitive damages against Abbott and $1 billion from Mead Johnson. Meanwhile, the defense contended that formula played no role in Kaine’s illness, pointing to additional health factors as the likely cause. Abbott’s legal team emphasized that the formula was used minimally alongside his mother’s milk.
The outcome of this case may significantly influence the future of the premature infant formula industry, which is facing nearly 1,000 similar lawsuits across the U.S. While Abbott and Mead Johnson previously faced multimillion-dollar verdicts, regulatory bodies and scientific groups—including one led by the NIH—have recently asserted that current evidence doesn’t definitively link formula to NEC.
This high-stakes legal battle, one of the largest of its kind, leaves Abbott and Reckitt at a crossroads, with billions and the broader formula industry hanging in the balance.
