By Jonathan Stempel
April 3, 2025 – 1:26 PM PDT
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(Reuters) – A U.S. judge said several companies including Walmart (WMT.N), Beech-Nut and Gerber must face a nationwide lawsuit claiming that toxic heavy metals contaminated their baby food, causing brain and neurodevelopmental damage to children who ate it.
In a decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said parents can try to prove that defective manufacturing, negligence and failure to warn about more than 600 baby food products caused their children to suffer autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Parents said some defendants failed to adhere to internal…
