EnfaCare Preterm Infant NEC Lawsuit Alleges Formula Caused Life-Threatening Diagnosis

Lawsuit claims Mead Johnson ignored decades of research linking Enfamil cow’s milk-based formula to NEC in premature babies.

A Missouri mother has filed a lawsuit alleging that Enamil’s EnfaCare infant formula caused her daughter to develop a potentially life-threatening intestinal condition while still in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Channing Henderson, individually and on behalf of her minor daughter, B.H., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 12. It names Mead Johnson & Company LLC and Mead Johnson Nutrition Company as defendants.

Henderson claims Mead Johnson knew for decades that medical research has linked cow’s milk-based formulas, like the company’s Enfamil products, to a substantially higher risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants. However, the manufacturer has continued to market the formula brands for preterm babies without providing warnings about the danger.

Enfamil Formula NEC Risks

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a serious intestinal disease that disproportionately affects premature and low birth weight infants. The condition can destroy bowel tissue, leading to intestinal perforations, overwhelming infections, emergency surgery and, in some cases, death.

Mead Johnson and its competitor Abbott Laboratories currently face a growing number of Enfamil lawsuits and Similac Lawsuits filed by families who allege premature infants developed the condition after being fed those companies’ cow’s milk-based formulas and fortifiers. The lawsuits contend the manufacturers failed to adequately warn that these products posed a significantly greater risk of NEC than an exclusive human milk diet.

According to plaintiffs, decades of published medical research have associated cow’s milk-based feeding products with an elevated risk of NEC in premature infants. Despite that evidence, infant formula NEC lawsuits allege the manufacturers continued to market the products as appropriate nutritional options for preterm babies without disclosing the known dangers or promoting safer human milk-based alternatives.

Enfamil EnfaCare NEC Allegations

According to the lawsuit, B.H. was born prematurely at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on April 19, 2023, and initially received donor breast milk and expressed maternal breast milk while in the NICU.

The complaint indicates hospital staff began feeding the infant Enfamil EnfaCare formula on May 5, 2023. Four days later, on May 9, she was diagnosed with NEC. While the child was treated with antibiotics and did not require surgery, the lawsuit alleges her NEC diagnosis was caused by exposure to Mead Johnson’s cow’s milk-based formula.

The complaint further contends the company promoted the products as safe and necessary for premature infant growth while failing to disclose that human milk-based alternatives were available and associated with a significantly lower risk of NEC.

“Based on Defendants’ marketing of its formulas and fortifiers, including Defendants’ marketing of the Product as specifically intended to address premature infants’ needs, B.H.’s mother believed the Product was safe for B.H. to consume and necessary for her growth and nutrition as a premature infant.”

— Channing Henderson v. Mead Johnson & Company LLC et al.

The filing raises allegations of strict products liability, negligent products liability, defective design and failure to provide adequate warnings and instructions. It seeks economic and non-economic damages for losses suffered.

Infant Formula NEC Lawsuits

As families across the country continue to file lawsuits over premature infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis after being fed cow’s milk-based formula, all federal claims have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer in the Northern District of Illinois. The consolidation allows the parties to conduct coordinated discovery and resolve common pretrial issues while avoiding inconsistent rulings in cases involving similar allegations against Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories.

To help move the litigation forward, Judge Pallmeyer has scheduled a series of bellwether trials based on representative claims. The first federal trial is set to begin on July 6, with a lawsuit filed by Alexis Inman. A second trial is scheduled to start on August 10, focusing on claims brought by Mary Kelton.

Although the bellwether verdicts will apply only to the individual families involved, they are expected to provide insight into how juries may evaluate the evidence presented throughout the litigation and could influence future settlement discussions.

Infant Formula NEC Verdicts

While the federal MDL continues to advance, a series of NEC lawsuits have also been filed in state courts, where several have already gone to trial. In one of the first state court trials, a Missouri jury awarded nearly $500 million to a family in 2024. Later that year, another Missouri case initially ended in a defense verdict. However, the judge ordered a new trial after finding Abbott improperly introduced certain evidence.

More recently, a Cook County, Illinois, jury awarded four mothers a combined $70 million in damages in a lawsuit involving Similac products. In a separate Cook County trial, another jury returned a $60 million verdict against Mead Johnson in a lawsuit involving Enfamil formula.

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