Lawsuit Alleging Autism, ADHD from Exposure to Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Food Cleared to Proceed

A California state judge has rejected an attempt by Gerber, Beech-Nut, Sprout Foods, and other major baby food manufacturers to exclude expert witness testimony linking autism, ADHD, and other injuries to baby food products contaminated with toxic heavy metals. The ruling is a positive step forward for the baby food autism lawsuits that have already been filed in courts across the country, as well as future lawsuits brought by parents with children who allegedly developed autism or ADHD after eating baby food contaminated with heavy metals. If your child has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or another serious health problem or developmental disorders, and you believe exposure to toxic heavy metals in contaminated baby food to be the cause, do not hesitate to contact us. You may be eligible to join the litigation against baby food manufacturers like Gerber and Beech-Nut, which may help you recover the compensation you and your child deserve for the injuries you have sustained.

Congressional Report Uncovers Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Food

Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of popular baby food products like rice cereals and Puffs, following a shocking congressional report published in February 2021, which revealed that many popular products sold by Gerber, Beech-Nut, and other major manufacturers contain exceptionally high levels of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, which may pose serious health risks for young children. “Inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury are toxic heavy metals,” the report states. “The Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization have declared them dangerous to human health, particularly to babies and children, who are most vulnerable to their neurotoxic effects. Even low levels of exposure can cause serious and often irreversible damage to brain development.”

Baby Food Lawsuits Alleging Harm from Toxic Metal Exposure

In the wake of the congressional report, which was based on internal documents and test results from seven of the largest baby food manufacturers in the U.S., a growing number of baby food autism lawsuits have been filed in courts nationwide, by parents who allege that their children suffered lasting harm as a result of toxic heavy metals in contaminated baby food products. The lawsuits also allege that these manufacturers concealed the presence of toxic heavy metals in their products for years, knowing full well that parents would never willingly purchase baby food that contained such high levels of toxic heavy metals.

One such baby food lawsuit was filed by the parents of a boy referred to as “NC,” now seven years old, who developed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) allegedly as a result of consuming baby food contaminated with mercury, lead, and arsenic. According to the lawsuit, he was diagnosed with ASD in 2016, when he was two years, nine months old, and ADHD in 2020, when he was six years old. Among the defendants named in the lawsuit, originally filed in September 2021 in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, by parents Lorenzo and Melissa Cantabrana, are Hain Celestial Group, Inc; Beech-Nut Nutrition Company; Nurture, Inc.; Plum Organics; Gerber Products Company; Walmart, Inc.; Sprout Foods, Inc.; and Ralphs Grocery Company, as the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of the baby food that allegedly caused the plaintiff’s injuries.

Court Rejects Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss

Several defendants named in the Cantabrana’s toxic baby food lawsuit attempted to have the case dismissed by asking the court to exclude the plaintiff’s expert testimony establishing a connection between toxic heavy metals in baby food and ASD, ADHD, and other injuries in children. Without the expert witness testimony, the Cantabrana’s would have had no way of showing that the baby food their son ate caused his injuries. In an order issued on May 24, 2022, Judge Amy D. Hogue denied the defendants’ motion. The ruling not only clears the way for the Cantabrana’s lawsuit to proceed, it will also likely lead to other similar lawsuits alleging injuries from exposure to baby food products contaminated with toxic heavy metals. If you know someone who has been diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, or another life-changing condition allegedly caused by exposure to heavy metals in baby food, do not hesitate to discuss your legal options with an experienced baby food autism attorney. The injured person may be entitled to financial compensation for the harm they have suffered, and a knowledgeable attorney can help.