Impact of the Nation's First Multi-Million Dollar Verdict
in the Metabolife Litigation

photo-13 Without a doubt, 2002 has been a rough year for Metabolife International, Inc., the manufacturer of the nation's top-selling dietary supplement, Metabolife 356. In August, the Department of Justice announced that it would conduct a criminal investigation to determine if the company had misrepresented information concerning the product's safety by failing to submit consumer health complaints to the FDA. The FDA is now conducting a separate investigation into the adverse event reports.

In addition to the mounting tension from government agencies, a federal jury recently awarded $4.1 million to four plaintiffs in Alabama who claim they suffered …