A jury in Suffolk County, working through the lunch hour last Thursday, took only one hour and 40 minutes to clear the makers of pHisoHex, of a product liability claim that the acne soap — once used by millions of teenagers — had caused epilepsy and mental retardation when used on a two-week-old infant.
The speed with which the six-member jury reached its unanimous verdict came as a surprise in view of the case’s lengthy history and the intensity with which it was fought. The case was the first to go to trial involving the safety of pHisoHex, though there may have been at least seven settlements involving its use.
