The court ruled on March 4 for Frederick in Wyeth v. Levine, No. 06-1249, a major defeat for Big Pharma. The win meant that Frederick’s client, Diana Levine, whose forearm was amputated because a Wyeth drug was improperly administered to her, would finally receive the $7 million a jury awarded her. It also meant that plaintiffs’ lawyers like Angelos would still be able to sue pharmaceutical companies in state courts in “failure to warn” cases like Levine’s.
As the magnitude of the victory became clear, Angelos told Frederick, “Let’s have a toast to Diana Levine.” Suddenly the unassuming Frederick, 47, found himself sipping wine before noon with Angelos.
