Reckitt's Mead Johnson wins federal bellwether trial over preterm infant formula

On August 31, 2026, a federal jury in Illinois ruled in favor of Reckitt Benckiser's Mead Johnson in a bellwether trial, finding its Enfamil formula did not cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in a premature infant who died. The lawsuit, brought by Alexis Inman, is part of nearly 1,700 cases against Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories. While Abbott previously settled 2,000 claims for $670 million, Mead Johnson maintains that science does not link its products to NEC and faces no outstanding verdicts.

Federal bellwether trial verdict

• ▪The federal jury concluded that Mead Johnson's Enfamil formula did not cause necrotizing enterocolitis in a premature baby boy who died after being born at 29 weeks
• ▪A federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled in favor of Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc's Mead Johnson unit on August 31, 2026, in a bellwether trial concerning Enfamil preterm infant formula
• ▪The lawsuit was brought by Alexis Inman, who alleged that Mead Johnson failed to warn her or her son's doctors that Enfamil premature formula could cause necrotizing enterocolitis

NEC litigation scope

• ▪Abbott Laboratories, which makes Similac infant formulas, is named alongside Mead Johnson in the litigation concerning preterm infant formula and necrotizing enterocolitis
• ▪The federal trial is part of a broader litigation involving nearly 1,700 lawsuits filed against Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories over allegations that their preterm infant formulas cause necrotizing enterocolitis

Case consolidation across courts

• ▪In addition to the centralized federal cases, other lawsuits concerning preterm infant formula and necrotizing enterocolitis are pending in state courts in Illinois, Missouri, and Pennsylvania
• ▪More than 800 of the lawsuits alleging preterm infant formula causes necrotizing enterocolitis are centralized in an Illinois federal court

Prior trial outcomes

• ▪Mead Johnson stated on August 31, 2026, that it faces no outstanding jury verdicts in the necrotizing enterocolitis litigation, having won two previous trials and an appeal over a third case
• ▪Infant formula manufacturers and parents suing them have had a mixed record in the trials that have proceeded, with some juries siding with the companies and others with the parents

Abbott settlement history

• ▪An Illinois jury awarded a woman $495 million in a 2024 verdict against Abbott Laboratories over claims related to preterm infant formula
• ▪Abbott Laboratories appealed the 2024 verdict and ultimately settled that case along with approximately 2,000 other claims for a total of $670 million

Company defense on causation

• ▪Mead Johnson stated that scientific evidence does not support claims that its infant formula products cause necrotizing enterocolitis
• ▪Mead Johnson committed to vigorously defending itself against all lawsuits alleging its products cause necrotizing enterocolitis, asserting that its actions safeguard the health of premature babies

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