Mo. Judge Orders New Trial for Mead Johnson, Abbott in Preterm Infant Formula Case

ST. LOUIS — A Missouri judge has ruled that Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. and Abbott Laboratories must face a new trial in a case in which a woman alleged her son developed a potentially deadly bowel disease after being fed their preterm infant formulas, saying the companies’ counsel engaged in misconduct that produced an unfair defense verdict.

In a March 13 order, Judge Michael Noble of the St. Louis Circuit Court set aside the November verdict, explaining that defendants’ attorneys intentionally and repeatedly violated clear instructions when presenting evidence to the jury, according to Reuters.

Noble said the lawyers …