backKing & Spalding secured another trial victory for client Boehringer Ingelheim in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois against a claim that its widely used heartburn medication Zantac increases the risk of cancer. Plaintiff Vincent Fiduccia alleged that his long-term use of over-the-counter Zantac caused him to develop kidney cancer, which had reached Stage IV by the time it was diagnosed.
On April 9th, 2025, after a three-week trial, a Chicago jury reached a unanimous defense verdict and rejected the plaintiff’s claim that taking Zantac increases the risk of kidney cancer. This trial represents the seventh trial in which a jury has refused to find Boehringer Ingelheim liable for causing a plaintiff's cancer. In cases alleging colorectal, prostate, bladder and, now, kidney cancer, King & Spalding trial teams have won or secured hung juries.
Cook County continues to be ranked Number 3 in the American Tort Reform Association’s list of most difficult jurisdictions for corporate defendants and has been labelled “Ground Zero for Nuclear Verdicts in the State.”
The King & Spalding trial team for the Fiduccia trial was Cory Hohnbaum, Rob Friedman, and Lauren Lutton.