11th Cir. Says Expert Testimony Flawed in $3.5 Million Metabolife Judgment

MIAMI - The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on March 2 reversed judgment for four plaintiffs who alleged heart attack and strokes from ephedra-containing diet products, holding that plaintiff's experts' testimony failed to meet Daubert standards for reliability. McClain v. Metabolife International Inc., No. 03-12776 (11th Cir.).

Metabolife International appealed a $3.5 million judgment issued in April 2003 after an Alabama trial in which former users of its Metabolife 356 supplement claimed the product caused heart attacks and strokes. Their spouses filed claims for loss of consortium.

A federal court jury awarded a total of $4,068,000, but U.S. District Judge …