The trial of Barry J. Cadden, former pharmacist and owner of New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., is set to begin Wednesday. Mr. Cadden was charged for his involvement in deaths pertaining to a meningitis outbreak in 2012 and is the first defendant to go to trial, according to the Boston Globe.
The 90 charges leveled against Mr. Cadden directly implicate him in 25 of the deaths related to the outbreak. According to the Globe, the trial could last two months. Prosecutors have identified nearly 175 potential witnesses.
In December 2014, 14 people were charged in connection with the fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people and sickened more than 680 across multiple states in 2012. The outbreak was related to the compounded drug dubbed preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate. Two of the defendants — owners Carla Conigliaro and her husband Douglas Conigliaro — were charged with financial crimes for manipulating funds after the outbreak to avoid federal detection. They pled guilty and were sentenced to probation in November.
While victims and family members reached a $200 million settlement with NECC and several of its sister companies, a criminal trial involving patient deaths has been a long-time coming for many people, according to Kim Dougherty, a Boston-based attorney with Janet, Jenner & Suggs. Ms. Dougherty represented many of the victims in the civil cases.
"At some point they weren't sure these people were going to be held accountable," said Ms. Dougherty, according to the Globe. "While a criminal trial won't bring them back their loved ones, or address the suffering they've already gone through, I think the idea of someone being held criminally responsible for their actions will bring them some justice and peace of mind."
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