US appeals court revives 500 Tylenol-autism lawsuits against Kenvue
Why it matters: The ruling could open Kenvue to thousands more claims and billions in potential settlement costs.
A federal appeals court in New York revived about 500 lawsuits alleging Kenvue failed to warn that taking Tylenol during pregnancy could raise the risk of autism and other developmental disorders in children. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled July 13 that a lower court went too far when it excluded testimony from three plaintiffs’ experts, sending the cases back for further proceedings. A Manhattan judge had blocked the suits in 2023 after finding the science unreliable. The appeals court did not decide whether Tylenol caused autism, and it upheld the exclusion of two other experts. Bloomberg Intelligence had estimated in March that the litigation could expose Kenvue to billions of dollars in settlement costs.