The first federal NEC baby formula bellwether trial against Mead Johnson ended with a defense verdict. Still, hundreds of lawsuits alleging that cow’s milk-based preterm infant formula can increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) continue in federal court.
On August 31, 2026, a federal jury in Chicago ruled in favor of Mead Johnson in Inman v. Mead Johnson & Company. The case involved Alexis Inman, whose premature son, Daniel, developed NEC and later died.
Inman alleged that Mead Johnson’s Enfamil Premature formula contributed to her son’s NEC and that the company failed to adequately warn healthcare providers about the risk. Following a roughly two-week trial, the jury found that Enfamil did not cause Daniel’s NEC.
While the result is material as the first Mead Johnson bellwether verdict in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL), it resolves only the Inman case. It doesn’t determine the outcome of the other NEC baby formula lawsuits pending against Mead Johnson or Abbott Laboratories.
The NEC Litigation Is Far From Over
Hundreds of NEC baby formula lawsuits remain centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, with thousands of additional cases proceeding in state courts.
The families bringing these lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to adequately warn healthcare providers about the risk of NEC associated with cow’s milk-based preterm infant formula products given to vulnerable premature infants. Mead Johnson and Abbott deny the allegations and maintain that their products do not cause NEC.
The litigation has produced different outcomes as individual cases have moved through the courts.
In April, an Illinois jury awarded $70 million to four mothers in litigation involving Abbott’s Similac Special Care 24 formula. A separate Missouri case involving Abbott resulted in a $495 million verdict in 2024.
Other cases have resulted in defense verdicts or decisions overturning earlier plaintiff verdicts. More recently, Abbott agreed to pay approximately $670 million to resolve the Missouri case, and NEC claims involving about 2,000 additional infants, while continuing to deny liability.
Taken together, these developments show why a single verdict shouldn’t be viewed as determining the broader NEC litigation.
Every NEC Baby Formula Case Has Its Own Evidence
Bellwether trials are intended to provide the parties with information about how juries may respond to evidence, witnesses, and legal arguments that can arise in similar cases. They don’t establish the outcome of claims brought by families who were not parties to the trial.
Each case can involve different medical histories, gestational ages, feeding practices, formula products, timing of exposure, NEC diagnoses, and other evidence. The scientific and medical testimony presented at trial can also vary from case to case.
The Inman verdict therefore doesn’t decide whether another family has a viable NEC baby formula claim. For parents who believe their premature child developed NEC after receiving cow’s milk-based preterm infant formula, an individual case evaluation remains important. Parents may want to contact an NEC baby formula lawyer if they have questions about their child’s formula use, NEC diagnosis, or whether they may have a potential legal claim.
More Federal NEC Cases Are Moving Forward
The first federal NEC baby formula trial against Abbott Laboratories is set for mid-October 2026. Childers, Schlueter & Smith Partner and Plaintiff MDL Co-Lead C. Andrew Childers is preparing to help lead that trial alongside Plaintiff MDL Co-Lead Timothy Becker of Johnson // Becker.
For families, the important point after the Inman verdict is that NEC baby formula claims are not being decided collectively by a single jury. Individual cases continue to move forward, and their outcomes will depend on the evidence and legal issues presented in each case.
Childers, Schlueter & Smith (CSS) represents families nationwide in NEC baby formula lawsuits involving premature infants who developed NEC after receiving cow’s milk-based preterm infant formula or fortifier products.
Families who have questions about whether their child’s diagnosis may be connected to a preterm infant formula product can learn more by contacting CSS online or at 1-800-641-0098 to discuss their circumstances.
