August 31, 2004

Ten people were arrested in Mississippi on charges related to the $150 million verdict rendered for five plaintiffs in 1999 against the manufacturer of one of the components of the diet-drug combination fen-phen. See 10 arrested in probe of $150M fen-phen verdict, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, Aug. 31; AP, Ten charged with fraud in fen-phen-case in Jefferson County, Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, Aug. 31. An FBI agent said that the arrests came after an 18-month investigation into large jury awards in the state, focusing on how plaintiffs became involved in the lawsuits and how juries were selected from an area where many people are related or acquaintances.