Trial Set in NEC Multidistrict Litigation Against Reckitt Benckiser’s Mead Johnson Led by Levin Papantonio

Key Terms

multidistrict litigation regulatory

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a legal process that combines many similar federal lawsuits filed in different courts into a single judge and court for pretrial handling, such as discovery and hearings, while individual cases can later be returned for trial if needed. For investors it matters because an MDL can centralize and speed up case management, influence potential settlement size, legal costs and timing, and create clearer signals about a company’s overall liability — like moving many scattered claims into one warehouse where the likely outcome becomes easier to see.

bellwether trial regulatory

A bellwether trial is one representative lawsuit chosen from a large group of similar cases to serve as a test case whose outcome helps predict how the remaining cases might be decided or settled. Investors watch bellwether results because they can reveal likely legal exposure, settlement costs, or precedent that affects a company’s future cash flows and stock value—think of it as a single test match that indicates how the rest of the season may play out.

necrotizing enterocolitis medical

A severe inflammatory condition in newborns, especially premature infants, where parts of the intestine become damaged and can die, sometimes leading to infection or the need for surgery. Think of it like a patch of lawn that starts to rot and then spreads, requiring intensive care, long hospital stays, specialized treatments and sometimes long-term health support — factors that affect hospitals’ costs, drug and device demand, and insurers’ payouts, and so matter to investors in healthcare-related businesses.

LONDON & PENSACOLA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Reckitt Benckiser (LON: RKT) subsidiary Mead Johnson is facing a bellwether trial in the US Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) over infant formula product Enfamil linked to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) scheduled for 6 July 2026. NEC is a severe intestinal disease that can cause tissue death and life-threatening infections in premature babies. Levin Papantonio attorney Andy Childers is Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel in the MDL.

The litigation centres on allegations that Mead Johnson’s Enfamil and Abbott Laboratories’ (NYSE: ABT) Similac, which are cow’s-milk-based infant formulas, increase the risk of NEC in premature infants and that manufacturers failed to adequately warn doctors and parents about this risk.

• More than 775 lawsuits are currently consolidated in the federal MDL in the Northern District of Illinois and hundreds of cases have been filed in state court.
• Analysts have estimated the total potential liability from infant formula litigation could range from around £400 million to as much as £8 billion.
• Juries have already returned major verdicts in NEC cases, including $495 million against Abbott Laboratories over Similac and $60 million against Mead Johnson over Enfamil, highlighting the potential financial liability facing formula manufacturers.
• The state court litigation is preparing for a multi-plaintiff trial against Abbott Laboratories in March.
• Reckitt Benckiser and Abbott Laboratories have a market share of about 80% of the US infant formula market.

The litigation has become a growing issue as Reckitt Benckiser is exploring the sale of its Mead Johnson nutrition division.

Sara Papantonio, Attorney at Levin Papantonio, said: “The upcoming bellwether trial against Reckitt Benckiser will bring families a step closer to justice after years of corporate misconduct that continues to devastate parents and take the lives of premature babies. For decades, manufacturers of cow’s-milk-based formulas have been aware of the serious risks that these products pose to vulnerable infants, yet they failed to adequately warn doctors and parents. This trial will give victims the opportunity to hold Reckitt Benckiser accountable and to ensure that the full extent of the harm caused by these products is brought before a jury.”

Notes to editors

About Levin Papantonio

Levin Papantonio is one of the leading plaintiff law firms in America. The firm has successfully represented more than 100,000 clients harmed by corporate negligence and misconduct and has helped to secure more than $80 billion in jury verdicts and settlements against some of the world's largest corporations, including Big Tobacco, BP, Dupont, 3M and Merck:

• Over $14 billion in settlements in the PFAS litigation from 3M, DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva over the last 20 years. These settlements aimed to fund the cleanup of toxic "forever chemicals" from public water systems nationwide, addressing environmental and health concerns linked to PFAS contamination.
• $500 million settlement with Walgreens, resolving claims that the pharmacy giant recklessly dispensed opioids in 2023.
• $26 billion national opioid settlement involving Johnson & Johnson and three other major drug distributors in 2021.
• $18.7 billion settlement in the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill case in 2010.
• $4.85 billion settlement in the Vioxx products multi-district litigation against Merck in 2007.
• $3.75 billion settlement with American Home Products Corporation for those claiming injuries from the diet pill combo Fen-Phen in 1999.
• $13.2 billion settlement for the State of Florida against the tobacco industry in 1992, the largest civil settlement in US history at the time.

The firm is led by Mike Papantonio, a nationally renowned US trial lawyer. Mike was selected as lead in discovery and trial in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL, dubbed the most complex case in U.S. legal history, and he secured a $26 billion settlement.

One of the few living attorneys inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, Papantonio’s work has been featured in award-winning documentaries including Oxy Kingpins, The Devil We Know, and Jesus Camp. Papantonio also hosts America’s Lawyer on YouTube, with over 1 million subscribers, and he founded and hosts the Ring of Fire radio show where he has interviewed major cultural and political figures, including Al Pacino, Erin Brockovich, and Howard Zinn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260305466625/en/

Media Contacts
Desiree Maghoo, Questor Consulting
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Mimi Robson, Questor Consulting
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E: mrobson@questorconsulting.com

Source: Levin Papantonio