A $10 million Motrin SJS lawsuit verdict against Johnson & Johnson was upheld by a Pennsylvania Superior Court.

The Motrin Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuit was filed against J&J by the family of a young girl who allegedly developed serious SJS and TEN side effects, including skin burns and blindness, after taking Children’s Motrin.

McNeil PPC Inc., a J&J subsidiary that manufactures Motrin products, argued there was no evidence to support the plaintiff’s claim that the absence of a Motrin SJS warning led to serious injuries allegedly sustained by the then 3-year-old victim, Brianna M.

However, a three-judge panel rejected this and various other arguments raised by McNeil during the appeals process.

Nine years after Brianna’s initial contraction of Motrin SJS, her mother filed the Motrin SJS lawsuit, which went to trial the following year. After nine weeks of litigation, the jury ruled in favor of the family with a $10 million verdict, agreeing with the plaintiff’s claim that McNeil negligently failed to warn the girl’s parents about the Motrin SJS risk.

McNeil appealed the Motrin SJS lawsuit ruling, claiming that the victim’s parents could not establish causation between the omission of a SJS warning label and the young girls serious injuries. The drug manufacturer went so far as to argue that the whole Motrin SJS lawsuit should go to trial once more because, McNeil claims, the girl’s legal counsel capitalized on the jury’s emotional sympathies by painting the picture of a David and Goliath legal battle between a major drug corporation and a young child.

However, the panel was not swayed. President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliott ruled: “We observe that the jury found in McNeil’s favor on two of the three claims, including punitive damages, despite plaintiffs’ counsel’s references to McNeil’s size and assets. This would seem to indicate the jury’s verdict was not the product of passion or prejudice.”

During 2000, Brianna was living in Tennessee with her family when she came down a fever and cough. To treat her symptoms, her mother gave her Children’s Motrin for four days straight. During this time, she suddenly developed rashes and blisters all over her body, leading her parents to rush her to her local hospital.

However, the SJS symptoms became so severe that the girl had to be transferred to a Texas burn unit. According to the Motrin SJS lawsuit, Brianna’s SJS worsened to the point that over 84 percent of her body was covered in burns, and it was allegedly determined that her SJS  had progressed to TEN. TEN is the more severe form of SJS, in which burns cover over 30 percent of a victim’s body.

Because of the SJS and TEN side effects, Brianna’s doctors additionally testified that she suffered extreme eye damage that has led to her permanent blindness. Now 17, she still suffers from effects of the injuries sustained from her Motrin SJS reaction.

The Motrin SJS Lawsuit is Case No. 3259 EDA 2011 and 471 EDA 2012, in the Superior Court of the State of Pennsylvania.

SJS and TEN Allergic Reactions

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are serious skin conditions that present as an allergic reaction to a number of over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications, including Motrin and Children’s Motrin. The top layer of skin becomes burned, and blistered, and eventually falls off, leaving the sensitive mucous membrane prone to infection.

While a person could suffer an SJS or TEN allergic reaction from any medication, certain drugs have a higher prevalence of SJS victims than others. These drugs include:

• Antibiotics
• Anticonvulsants
• Sulfa based drugs
• Bactrim
• Septra
• Acetamenophin
• Amoxicillan
• Azithromycin (Zithromax)
• Barbiturates
• Ibuprofen-Motrin
• Penicillin
• Naproxen

As a result of the pain and suffering experienced by Motrin SJS victims like Brianna, many individuals have filed Motrin SJS lawsuits or joined Motrin SJS class action lawsuits.