Published August 12, 2026
The first federal bellwether trial against Mead Johnson opened August 12, 2026 in the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) baby formula multidistrict litigation before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer in the Northern District of Illinois — the opening case in a second wave of trials scheduled through February 2027.
The trial, Inman v. Mead Johnson & Company, was brought by Alexis Inman over her son Daniel, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks and developed NEC after being transitioned from fortified breast milk to Mead Johnson's Enfamil Premature formula in the NICU. The lawsuit alleges Mead Johnson's formula was defectively designed and that the company could have used a safer carbohydrate formulation. Days before trial, on August 5, Judge Pallmeyer denied Mead Johnson's motion to dismiss the case.
This is the first federal bellwether specifically against Mead Johnson to reach trial; earlier federal bellwether trials in the MDL targeted Abbott Laboratories, including an April 2026 Chicago jury verdict awarding $70 million across four families. Roughly 800 federal NEC cases remain pending in the MDL, and no global settlement has been reached as verdicts to date have totaled more than $555 million combined. Both manufacturers continue to deny liability, maintaining that NEC can occur in premature infants regardless of feeding method.
If your premature infant was fed Similac or Enfamil and later diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis, see Atumio's NEC baby formula case page for a free eligibility review, or start a case review directly.