Widow of Orioles Pitcher Sues Ephedra Maker July 30, 2003
News Summary
The widow of a Baltimore Orioles pitcher who died during spring training after taking a dietary supplement containing ephedra has sued the manufacturer and distributor of the over-the-counter supplement, the Associated Press reported July 17.The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by Kiley Belcher, widow of pitcher Steve Belcher, seeks $600 million, as well as a ban on the sale of products containing ephedra.
Named in the lawsuit are Cytodyne Technologies of New Jersey, distributor of the dietary supplement Xenadrine RFA-1, and its president Robert Chinery, and manufacturer Phoenix Laboratories of New York.
"It's a simple case of corporate and personal greed being placed ahead of consumer safety and the public welfare," said David Meiselman, Bechler's attorney.
In a company statement, Cytodyne said that the death of the Orioles pitcher from ephedrine "is wholly unsupported by the facts or scientific evidence."
Toxicology tests conducted on Bechler found that "significant amounts" of the dietary supplement containing ephedra contributed to Bechler's heatstroke.
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