SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - A mom whose infant daughter was allegedly injured when given cow milk is suing Abbott Laboratories and Mercy San Juan Medical Center.
Nakisha Harrell filed suit March 30 in San Francisco Superior Court through attorneys at Wagstaff Law Firm and Motley Rice. The suit says Harrell's daughter, who was born premature, developed necrotizing enterocolitis that has resulted in long-term health effects.
The daughter, V.P., was born in April 2006 and was given Similac at Mercy San Juan.
"NEC is a devastating disease that is the most frequent and lethal gastrointestinal disorder affecting preterm infants," the suit says. "NEC develops when harmful bacteria breach the walls of the intestine, causing portions of the intestine to become inflamed and often to die."
"Preterm and low-birth-weight infants are especially susceptible to NEC because of their underdeveloped digestive systems."
The suit cites a study that found NEC is much more likely for babies only fed cow's milk formula.