Date: 03-12-2001

Case Style: Gloria Nelda Lopez v. American Home Products Corp. and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratorie

Case Number: 99-07-37723

Judge: Terry A. Canales

Court: 79th District Court, Jim Wells County, Texas

Plaintiff's Attorney: Kathryn Snapka and Gregory W. Turman of the Law Office of Kathryn Snapka, Corpus Christi, Texas; Tony Martinez and Benigno (Trey) Martinez of Martinez & Barrera, L.L.P., Brownsville, Texas; Charles Lee Barrera of Barrera and Barrera, Alice, Texas

Defendant's Attorney: J.A. (Tony) Canales of Canales & Simonson, P.C., Corpus Christi, Texas; Steven G. Reade of Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C.; Joseph D. Piorkowski, Jr., Washington, D.C.; Randall L. Christian and Patrick L. Delaune of Clark, Thomas & Winters, A P.C., Austin, Texas; William R. Murray, Jr. of Williams & Connolly, L.L.P., Washington, D.C.

Description: Products Liability - Nelda Lopez, age 48, filed suit after taking "fen-phen" (a combination of fenfluramine and phentermine) from April of 1997 to September of 1997 when it was taken off the market. In December of 1997, she started having shortness of breath and saw a cardiologist early in 1998. She was diagnosed with aortic regurgitation. She claimed that the defendants withheld information from the FDA about the dangers of fenfluramine. The defendants claimed that plaintiff's heart problems were unrelated to the fenfluramine and asserted that the aortic regurgitation was a result of chronic hypertension which caused aortic root uncoiling. Plaintiff claimed she sustained heart valve damage from taking fenfluramine and the cardiac damage would require future valve replacement surgery.

Outcome: Plaintiff's verdict for $56.55 million.

Plaintiff's Experts: Unknown

Defendant's Experts: Unknown

Comments: None