A jury awarded $15 million to a woman who claimed that Botox treatment resulted in botulism. In 2006, Sharla Helton, then 44, received Botox injections in her face from a plastic surgeon. She claimed that the next day she began experiencing weakness and pain in her joints and muscles throughout her body. She was eventually diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. She sued Allergan Inc., alleging that the Botox maker had been aware since 2000 of the health risks related to high doses of Botox, including the onset of botulism, and it failed to warn. The jury found for the plaintiff on her negligence claim but not on her failure-to-warn claim. The jury determined that the defendant did not act in reckless disregard of the rights of others.
