Enfamil Lawsuit Filed Over Salmonella Complications from Baby Formula

Laboratory testing found evidence of salmonella in Enfamil Gentlease, lawsuit alleges.

Mead Johnson faces a product liability lawsuit brought by a California family, which indicates that their child fell ill and suffered salmonella complications from Enfamil baby formula eaten after discharge from the hospital.

The complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 1, by Jessica Torres and Michael Lamorie, parents of a minor child identified only as A.L., who was hospitalized and left with a number of complications after being diagnosed with salmonella poisoning.

According to the lawsuit, less than two weeks after A.L. was born in January 2019, his mother brought him back to his pediatrician due to fussiness, poor eating, lethargy and whimpering. He was diagnosed with salmonella food poisoning after being fed Enfamil Gentlease, resulting in a number of other problems, including salmonella meningitis, bacterial sepsis, cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, intracranial abscess and granuloma, convulsions and respiratory failure.

The Enfamil salmonella contamination was confirmed through laboratory testing, according to the lawsuit, which indicates the baby continues to suffer mental and physical complications from the illness.

The case comes as Mead Johnson faces a growing number of Enfamil lawsuits brought by families of premature babies that experienced a severe and life-threatening disease known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) caused by the baby formula, leading to concerns about the safety and nutritional value of the cow’s milk-based product and whether it has been overly promoted as a substitute for breast milk.

The lawsuit filed by Torres and Lamorie indicates that after the birth, A.L. was fed both Similac and Enfamil formula, and suffered a number of issues even before the salmonella complications, such as diaper rash and fussiness. In fact, his siblings had suffered stomach issues after being fed Similac as infants, which led his mother to feed A.L. Similac Sensitive formula in anticipation of potential problems. However, his pediatrician prescribed Enfamil Gentlease two days after the birth, which Torres purchased from a local Walmart.

What his parents did not expect was a case of salmonella food poisoning caused by the Enfamil baby formula. However, laboratory testing conducted after the diagnosis found that the Similac did not contain salmonella, while Enfamil Gentlease formula tested positive.

“The subject product was contaminated by Salmonella when it left the control of the Defendants,” the lawsuit states. “A.L.’s consumption of the contaminated food caused him to become infected by Salmonella and to suffer injuries as a direct and proximate result of that consumption.”

For healthy individuals, salmonella food poisoning symptoms typically include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain lasting between four and seven days. The illness can become worse due to the delay in treatment because the infection can only be diagnosed by testing stool samples and is usually treated with antibiotics.

Among individuals with a weakened immune system, such as the elderly, children or pregnant women, the illness can pose a much greater risk and may lead to death or still birth if left untreated. In rare circumstances, the infection can even spread throughout the blood stream and cause arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.

Baby Formula Complications for Premature Infants

Separate from the claim brought by Torres and Lamorie, baby formula NEC lawsuits filed by families throughout the U.S. have been raising serious concerns about the over-promotion and increased use of Enfamil and Similac in recent years, which has displaced use of breast milk for many newborns.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating injury that most commonly impacts premature babies, resulting in inflammation and necrosis of intestinal tissue. It often leads to emergency surgery or death, and a number of studies have found that the risk is substantially greater among premature babies fed cow’s milk formula after birth.

In addition to claims against Mead Johnson, Similac lawsuits have also been filed against Abbott Laboratories, as both companies promoted versions of their products specifically for use among premies.