A jury in a state court in Beaumont, Texas, ruled that the manufacturer of the once-popular diet aid, Fen-Phen, should pay more than $1 billion to the family of Cynthia Cappel-Coffey, who died from lung disease that the family said was caused by the drug, the New York Times reported. Although the pharmaceutical company, Wyeth, has faced tens of thousands of claims from people saying that they suffered heart valve damage after taking the drug, the Texas verdict was the first against the company involving a lung damage case.
Lawyers for Wyeth said that they planned to appeal the verdict and criticized the judge for excluding evidence that they believe would have bolstered their case. "There is absolutely no basis in the record for the amounts awarded," said Bill Sims, an attorney representing Wyeth, in a statement.
Under Texas law, punitive damages are limited to twice the amount of economic damages and an additional $750,000. In this case, the jury awarded $113 million in compensatory damages, which include economic damages, and $900 million in punitive damages.
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