Third Party Complaint Claims Paxil Played Role in Murder-Suicide

LAPORTE, Ind. - The wife of an Indiana man who allegedly murdered his neighbor before taking his own life recently filed a third-party complaint against the manufacturer of Paxil, claiming that her husband's actions were the result of a side effect related to his use of the drug. Dawn Jenkins, plaintiff, v. Estate of Vernal Ash and Billie Ash, defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs, v. SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Third-Party Defendant, No. 46C01-0208-CT-233 (Ind. Cir. Ct., Laporte Cty.).

The complaint, filed in LaPorte County Circuit Court, asserts that Paxil, an antidepressant classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), can cause some patients to …