OTHER NEWS - Oct. 19, 1991

$12.2-Million Verdict Against Eli Lilly: Companies could be spurred to settle about 1,000 suits over the anti-miscarriage drug DES after a $12.2-million verdict this week against Eli Lilly & Co., the biggest ever involving the medication, lawyers said. A New York state court jury sided with Margaret Perrotte, whose cancer and infertility were linked to the fact that her mother took diethylstilbestrol, known as DES. The drug was taken by millions of women from 1947 to 1971 to prevent miscarriages. The verdict also marked the first time a DES spouse was awarded damages. Perrotte’s husband, Ed, won $550,000 in addition to the $12.2 million awarded to his wife. As the jury was about to reconvene to determine if punitive damages should also be awarded, the two sides settled. The terms are to be kept confidential.