Kirkland Lawyer Barred From Abbott Formula Argument Over Conduct

A Missouri judge barred Kirkland & Ellis partner James Hurst from making arguments for Abbott Laboratories in a major trial over the safety of formula for premature babies.

Judge Michael Noble of St. Louis City Circuit Court sanctioned Hurst, a star litigator who has long represented Abbott, for “bad faith” after he “repeatedly toed the line of appropriate conduct” throughout the trial.

The Oct. 24 sanctions order comes in a case where Abbott and Mead Johnson are defending claims that the formula they manufacture caused a bowel inflammation called necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is also a ...