Georgia woman joins lawsuit over bugs in baby formula

By Fran Jeffries

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Georgia woman joined a federal class-action lawsuit against the maker of the baby formula Similac after she said her child became ill from the formula contaminated with insect parts.

Samantha Knipe of Columbus  joined at least eight other parents from across the country in suing Abbott Laboratories after she unknowingly fed contaminated Similac Advance and Similac Go and Grow Soy formula to her daughter, according to the suit.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court, Atlanta, in November.

It claims that Abbott Laboratories recalled the formula, but the company waited a week to do so. Abbott issued the voluntary recall order in September 2010 after small common beetles were found at its Michigan manufacturing facility.

Knipe told the AJC that her daughter, who was born in March 2010, began spitting up or vomiting every time she was fed the formula in late July or August of that year.

“I was devastated, angry, sad and sick at the same time. I trusted this company with the health of my child, and they were feeding her bugs,” Knipe said in the lawsuit.

Other parents claim in the suit that the products were contaminated to such an extent that their children became ill and required medical treatment.

Jonathan Johnson, attorney for the plaintiffs, told the AJC in a phone interview, "This is traumatic for the parents."

They want to find out how the contamination happened and are seeking "expenses and punitive damages," Johnson said. He did not specify the dollar amounts being sought.

Abbott did not respond to a request for comment.